Animorphs: The Assassin
by aizxana
Summary: Third of Four stories. When Sam is held prisoner on board a Yeerk infested ship, Philip must confront his past and take command of the group. But it soon becomes clear that there’s someone else in the equation and are they friend or foe?
1. Introduction: What's In A Name?

**Animorphs: The Assassin**

_This is the third of four stories following the adventures of Samantha Goddard and her friends. The four of them are morph capable humans, on the run from Visser Five and journeying from Britain to California in their search of Jake Berenson and the other Animorphs. In this story, we find out about Philip's past, some of which will be told in 'memories'. Every few chapters will consist of one of these memories. As for the story as a whole, it's best if you have read my fan fics The Fugitives and The Confrontation first, but it won't matter too much if you haven't. Hope you like it, please read and review!_

Introduction: What's in a Name?

My name is Philip Lawless. It may not sound like much of a name, but it is one that has conjured up much controversy and many attitudes over the years. Names can do that. In a word, on paper, they don't look like much. But names are quickly associated with stories, opinions, people, and pasts. As William Shakespeare once quoted, "that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." My name, for example, was once a name I had been deeply proud of. It is a name that dates back almost ten centuries, usually associated with spectacle and grandeur, and often with people who have lead heroic and illustrious lives. But it is a name that has, on occasion, been associated with shame and embarrassment. And, although I still find it difficult to admit it, it is I who has now degraded the family name, through a mistake so terrible that I shall have to live with it for the rest of my life.

It is also a name that, in the last couple of days, has become significant for another reason. Whilst once regarded as name synonymous with the aristocracy and high society, it is now know - to some - for a very different reason. My name is now to be the name of a fugitive. Two fugitives, in fact. Myself, and my brother, Ferdinand. But in case you were wondering, this had nothing to do with my shameful secret. You shall find more about that later. I am a fugitive, not from the police of Britain - or even of Earth. A group of extraterrestrial beings by the name of Yeerks are hunting me, my brother and two others. They know everything one can know about a person, and, using that information, they will do whatever they can to get their hands on the four of us.

Unlike my brother, I am not a joker. Perhaps I was once, but times, and people change. Everything I tell you over the course of this story is completely true. Give me something to swear on - like a Bible - and I'll swear that all I tell you has actually happened to me. We are being chased by a race of aliens - parasitic aliens, in fact. Yeerks are small, slug-like creatures that have the ability to slide into your ear canal and wrap themselves around your brain. They then take control of you body - your eyes, your voice, your arms and legs. They control you. Completely. Utterly. They have taken many alien species, including the Hork-Bajir, the Taxxons and the Gedds. They are now moving towards humans. We call individuals who have been infested Controllers, although this is ironic since they have no control over themselves at all. This may sound like something out of a horror film, but it gets worse. The thing is, you are still aware of what is going on as the Yeerk infests you. You can still, although you can only hear what the Yeerk focuses your hearing on. You can still see - but only at what the Yeerk is looking at. You can still think. Still remember. Still dream. But every one of your thoughts, memories and dreams can be read by the Yeerk at their leisure, as easily as if they are reading a book. It is hell. Hell in your own mind. And it is they from whom we are running.

Who are we? Well, as I have already mentioned, myself and my younger brother Ferdie. A strong willed and hot-headed Scottish girl named Maggie. And our leader - and Ferdie's unlikely crush - Samantha Goddard. Fearless but arrogant Sam. She may not look like much of a leader, but she is a remarkably good one. She has all the qualities I have been trained to recognise in a leader. And she has got us through alien abductions, near death scenarios, and two hundred miles across Britain. Her leadership skills were evident from the moment I met her. She got us to our senses and helped us escape from an unthinkable scenario. I won't tell you the whole story of the past few days - I'll leave that to Sam and Ferdie - but I'll give you the shortened version. Five of us were abducted by an alien race called the Skrit-Na, a race famous for their obsessive hoarding and collection of all things weird and wonderful. The Skrit-Na had managed to get hold of, in addition to five humans, a piece of remarkable technology belonging to an advanced race called the Andalites. This piece of technology - called the Escafil device - gives the individual the power to morph. The power to change shape. To become any animal - for two hours at a time - they touch and 'acquire'. This power is widely craved throughout the galaxy - especially by the Yeerks. The Yeerks learnt that the Skrit-Na was in possession of one of these 'morphing cubes' and sent an army to try and steal it. The Andalites sent in a defence ship, captained by an Andalite named Eramas-Corion-Jarvis, to retrieve their technology.

The Andalites retrieved their technology. Eramas broke the rules of the Andalite custom and gave us the power to morph in order to help us escape. Four of us - Sam, myself and Ferdie, and a girl called Ashima, were sent back down to earth with the orders to find a group of human morphers living on earth. They are known to the Andalites as the Resistance. They might have given themselves a better name, but I don't know, as we haven't found them yet. Unfortunately for us, they live in America. California to be more precise. About ten-thousand miles from where we live, (or used to live) in a little town in Yorkshire, England. And we have to get to them - without using human transport by which the Yeerks could trace us. So the four of us acquired some useful animals to morph, including hawks and sharks, and set off on our journey. Along the way, we lost a member of our team - Ashima - in battle, but gained another - Maggie.

The Yeerks are now hunting the four of us. We, having the power to morph, would make fine hosts for a great Yeerk general. The Yeerk in charge of the operation to catch us is a war-lord named Visser Five. He reports directly to another Yeerk war-lord, Visser three, who is in charge of the infestation of Earth. Whilst Visser Five has the body of a Hork-Bajir, Visser Three is the only Yeerk to have ever infested an Andalite. He alone has the power to morph.

So what is the situation at the moment? The four of us are currently in Cardiff, Wales, having made our way cross-country from Yorkshire in order to stow aboard a British Naval ship en-route to New York. We have travelled two-hundred and thirty miles as geese, wolf and stag. We now have nearly three thousand miles of ocean to cross, and, later, another two and a half thousand across the USA. It's been tough so far, with many ups and downs, but it's not something we have a choice about. It's something in which we must all take part, and to do so, we must confront our fears, leave our pasts and our homes behind us, and pull together as a team to survive and succeed.


	2. Chapter 1: Onward Mighty Soldiers

Chapter 1

--Well, this is all very nice!-- laughed Ferdie. --As long as you're an insect, you can enjoy free onboard entertainment, maximum legroom, and the possibility of certain death!--

--Glad to hear you're still in a good mood,-- I remarked. --Would you like me to introduce you to reality yet, Flawless? It's a very close friend of mine.--

Ferdie, Maggie and I were travelling as insects - Ferdie and I as wasps, and Maggie as beetle - on the back on Sam's goose morph. We were flying out to sea, searching for a military ship that was supposed to be somewhere in the vicinity. This ship was, according to some classified data into which I'd hacked, headed on a trajectory to New York, stopping somewhere in the Atlantic ocean to carry out some navy task.

The last couple of hours had been more than stressful. After a two full days morphing and travelling, we'd made it to Cardiff, where we'd broken into the head office of the international port. I'd grabbed the data we needed, and erased evidence of what information I'd seen. Unfortunately, we were spotted by several employees, and the unluckily for us the director had turned out to be a high ranking Controller. There had then been a grizzly battle - which I have a feeling Ferdie enjoyed - and the four of us had managed to escape. The plan was now for Sam to morph goose and the rest of us hitch a ride as insects on her back, and search for this ship. If all went well, we'd stow away on the ship and hitch a free ride to the USA. There was still a long way to go once we got to America, but we'd have to cross that bridge when we came to it.

--How are I supposed to know where I'm going?-- grumbled Sam. --All I can see below me is ocean. I could be flying in blimmin' circles for all I know.--

--Ooh, Sam, regretting playing Wonder Woman?-- laughed Ferdie. Sam had offered to go goose whilst letting the rest of us ride on her back to save us the effort of morphing and flying after battle.

--No, I'm not, I'm just concerned that, whilst Philip may have the navigation skills of an army officer, I can't even navigate a road atlas. We could be headed towards France and with you lot as bugs, how would we know?--

--Sam,-- I replied, --whilst I may be very well trained in this particular field, might I point out that very few creatures on earth - humans included - have the navigation skills of a Canadian goose. Slip into the bird's mind, Sam. Ignore Ferdie. The goose knows where it's going.--

--Yeah, well, I hope you're right. I'll blame myself if this all goes wrong.--

Sam flapped on, tirelessly. Geese are one of several types of birds, including herons and storks, that are able to migrate enormous distances, flying for hours at a time. At full flight, they can travel up to fifty miles an hour at an altitude of five to ten thousand feet. Sam, of course, wouldn't be travelling at that height or speed as she was only able to fly for two hours at a time, to allow for demorphing and remorphing. Any longer than two hours in morph and we'd be trapped in that form, unable to become human again. Being in wasp morph, I was finding it difficult to estimate the amount of time that had passed. I had briefly instructed Sam on how to use the sun to estimate the passing of time, but it would be a very rough approximation. However, I'd had enough practice whilst on sentry in the army to know how long two hours felt like, and advised Sam when necessary when it was time to demorph.

Demorphing was not a pleasant experience. Morphing and demorphing bugs never is. And, even when we were fully human, trying to stay afloat in the middle of nowhere was not a pleasant experience, either.

"Good god, I can't swim at all in these stupid boots!" spluttered Ferdie, kicking desperately with his boot-enveloped feet. He was the only one of us who'd managed to incorporate boots into the morph. His arms were still long, thin and hairy, and a pair of gossamer wings could be seen dissolving into his shoulder blades.

"Well, you're the one who insisted on wearing them, Ferd," I retorted, feeling my own fingers and toes re-emerge. "Just think what it was like for the rest of us walking on bare feet that whole time."

The four of us had landed, and were now finishing demorphing, in the ocean. Sam had landed and paddled as goose for a few minutes whilst the rest of us demorphed, so that we small bugs would still be able to cling to her feathers for a while and not become swept away in the water. Then, when Ferdie, Maggie and I were human, Sam began to demorph. Her goose morph was no where near as strange as our beetle and wasp morphs, but it was still a strange show to watch, even now. But soon the four of us were fully human, but resembling silly drowned rats as we treaded water, spitting the salty water out of our mouths. Although none of us tried to show it, I could tell that everyone was feeling terrified and very foolish, now having demorphed. We were four kids, swimming unaided, in the middle of a vast, unforgiving, ocean. No land could be seen in any direction. No sounds could be heard apart from our trembling voices and the swashing of the water around us. I felt my teeth chatter, and my limbs already tiring from treading water. I realised that, without our morphing ability, we'd be dead within hours.

"It's freezing!" gasped Maggie, as yet another wave washed over us. We were wearing only our thin morphing outfits, which consisted of leotards for the girls and tight t-shirts, cycling shorts or breeches for us guys, and boots for Ferdie. "Can we get out of here and get back to bugs, Sam?"

"Yeah - we won't last long out here, goose-girl," said Ferdie, sweeping a hand through his soaking wet mane of red hair and swallowing a gulp of the ice-cold water. "I say, isn't it about time we get back on board Insani-Airlines?

"Well," said Sam, "I think we've been travelled quite a while already. Philip - you estimated the ship would be about a hundred miles out, somewhere off the south coast of Ireland?"

"Yes, if everything has followed order." I paused, allowing a tiny sliver of hope into my usually cold and logistical mind. "Sam, I'm probably taking a huge leap of faith here, but we might be quite near already. We've been travelling for almost two hours at roughly forty miles an hour - that eighty miles in total."

"Yeah, but assuming I've been flying on the exact bearing that entire time. I could have flown eighty miles in the wrong direction."

"Not with the goose's mind," said Maggie, speaking up. "Aye, if you give the goose a destination, it'll get there. You go off course even a half a degree, and it'll let you know."

Sam seemed to take Maggie's words as a sign to be optimistic, and announced,

"Ok, guys, enough resting for now. The ship must be somewhere nearby, so I want everyone as geese for this last bit. We'll have far more chance of finding it if we are all birds. When we find it - and that's a when, not an if - we find somewhere safe to land, glide down, demorph, and hide until I figure out what to do next. There'll be several days stowing aboard that ship, and we can't stay curled up in a lifeboat for all of that time. We'll have to check that the ship's not riddled with Controllers, at the least."

"Can't we go shark?" whined Ferdie. "I've been dying to try out that morph ever since I acquired it!"

"Flawless, you've been dying to try out every morph you've ever acquired. And no, we're not going shark. Sam says we're going goose, so that's that," I retorted.

"Ferdie, we can't go shark," Sam continued. "We won't spot the ship from underwater. And we've had no practice. We'll morph sharks eventually, I'm sure of that!" she laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "Come on, people, lets go goose again."

And so forty-five minutes later, whether it was by sheer dumb luck or my excellent navigation skills, we spotted the ship.


	3. Chapter 2: Breaking In

Chapter 2

"_I will break you!"_

_The sergeant's words rang in my ears. I stood up straight, meeting his eye contact, my eyebrows narrowing, my breath short and sharp. _

"_I will break you, you hear me, Lawless? I will break you, and there's no way you can resist! I will 'ave you climbing miles to chase your dignity! I will 'ave it so that you will be sweating your blood and guts and lapping them up for breakfast every morning! I will 'ave it, so that you will be down on your knees, licking the dirt off my boots as and when I command it!"_

_I swallowed. Sergeant Spark's - yes, that was his real name - was less than an inch from my own. I could see every pore on his red, heaving brow. I broke eye contact and stared straight ahead, waiting for him to deliver my punishment. There would be a damn good beasting tonight, I was sure of that._

_Sparks let out a sharp breath, and removed his scowling face from my own. He stood in front of me, head cocked to one side, allowing himself a slight grin. "Oh yes," he said softy. "I'll 'ave you broken before dawn. You wait there one minute. I've got just the same for arrogant young bloods like you."_

_Sparks turned on his heel, leaving me and the rest of my platoon cowering. The captain watched me with interest, wondering how I was to react. I stood tall and said nothing. I was aware of the sorts of methods some of the non-commissioned officers here employed to get their reluctant cadets to comply. Anything to get you out of your own, proud self, and into the command of another. I'd been at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst for just three weeks now, and it was well known to all officers and cadets alike that the first few months was no picnic. They treated you like dogs, and you were expected to act like one. _

_I could hear footsteps behind me. The captain was moving on, leaving Sparks to carry out his duties. As he passed me, he nodded sincerely at me._

"_Chin up, Lawless," he said encouragingly, and left._

_Sparks returned, a large rifle in hand, larger than my own._

"_Recognise this?" he asked, smirking at me._

"_An LSW, sergeant," I said, looking straight ahead._

"_A what, boy?" he replied. "I didn't ask for an alphabet lesson!"_

"_A light support weapon, sergeant!"_

_Sparks licked his lips. "Very good, boy. And d'know what you're gonna do with this little beauty?"_

"_Shoot myself with it?" I replied. With any luck, I would be correct, and I'd get myself out of this hell hole._

"_Ah, no, you don't have that luxury," grinned Sparks. "Nah, I've got something better planned for you, boy. You're gonna keep her safe for me tonight."_

"_Yes…sergeant," I replied, unsure where this was going._

"_My baby here," he said, thrusting the rifle at me, "might look all big and scary, but really, she can't do nothink to protect herself."_

_I grasped the huge, heavy rifle, feeling the cold, black metal adding several kilos to my weight._

"_Unlike you, of course," Sparks continued. "You can protect yourself, can't you? You toffs think you could protect the whole world if you wanted it. I know your sort. I see them come in here all the time, and they're always the same. Posh voices, toffee nosed, think they're smart cos they can count to twenty generations on their family tree. Always getting what they want. Always used to a life of luxury."_

_He leaned in towards me, brushing his calloused hand through my hair, and wiping it again on my shirt. _

"_I will reverse that," he whispered. "I will show you who's in command here. I always do."_

_He grasped hold of my shirt and pulled me out of the platoon formation, standing me in front of the group. I tripped on a small rock beneath me feet. We were in the middle of a field, alone in the moonlit Bracknell forest countryside. Sparks drew himself up in front of me._

"_Git yer hands up in the air," he spat._

_I swallowed, and did so._

"_With yer rifle in them!" he ordered._

_Ah. So this was his plan. Reluctantly, I took the rifle in my hands and lifted it high above my head. Several kilos of cold, heavy metal bearing down on me._

_The sergeant span me round. He pointed to a small but steep hill, some fifty yards away. _

"_See that hill up there?" he said. "You dignity's up there. Go and get it. And keep my gun out above your head, out of trouble!"_

_And so I ran. Ran to the hill, my arms high above my head, clutched the heavy weapon. I reached the edge of the hill. I legged it up the hill. I reached the top. I looked back, knowing there was more to come. The sergeant was watched me with glee._

"_You can come back now!" he shouted. "Keep those hands up, though!"_

_I ran down the hill, almost tripping over myself, propelled downwards by the dead weight above me. Seconds later, I reached the sergeant, already short of breath._

"_Don't stop now!" he bellowed, with all the unfocused enthusiasm he possessed. "Night's just getting started!"_

_And so I ran back. And up. And down. And up again. And down again. On and on, I went, gasping, spitting, cursing. My lungs were bursting, my vision blurred through my teary eyes. My own rifle bounced against my hipbone, unsupported. My mess tins in my webbing clattered about noisily. My hair flapped in front of my face and saliva dribbled down my chin, but with my arms above my head, I couldn't do anything about it. After three laps, the sergeant abandoned the rest of the platoon to the corporals and came to join me. He ran effortlessly beside me, wallowing in my torture._

_After ten laps, I threw up. I collapsed to my knees, dropping the weapon beside me, heaving into the dirt. The sergeant dropped beside me, sneering. _

"_What the heck is that, son?" he yelled._

"_Vomit…sergeant!" I gasped. _

"_Vomit?" he laughed. "That is never vomit!" He took my hand and pressed it into the vile liquid. "That's not vomit, Flawless Lawless. That's just weakness. Weakness leaving the body. You should be proud of yourself. Every step, every gasping little breath, shows weakness being replaced by strength. And your arrogance, being replaced by humility."_

_He yanked me to my feet, and snorted._

"_Now get up, and carry on."_

_After forty laps, the sergeant decided I was broken, and led me back to the others._


	4. Chapter 3: The HMS Hertford

Chapter 3

--I see something up ahead!-- I heard Maggie say. She was flying the furthest in front, lower than the rest of us, eager to find the ship before Ferdie, who was childishly flapping towards any distant shape he saw.

--It is the one, do you know?-- asked Sam. She was carrying on flying out in a straight line, along the bearing I given her, a little higher up. I kept pace just behind her, using her stream of wind to reduce air resistance and help me keep my pace.

--Oh my god, I think it actually might be!-- squealed Maggie. I saw her tilt her wing, and soared upwards for a better look. --Told you I'd find it first, Flawless!-- she laughed. Ferdie laughed and glided up towards us.

We homed in on the ship. A huge, greyish brown vessel, 350 feet of iron shafts, turrets and turbines, cruising towards the open water at about 30 knots. Soon, it was more than clear that we'd at last found the correct ship. With my supreme goose vision, I was soon able to read the ship's name.

--HMS Hertford,-- I said. --There's our baby.--

--Excellent,-- said Sam. --Right, I suggest we all fly in closer, but get some altitude first so we'll be less obvious. Then find some place with as few people milling around as possible, find some nook or cranny, fly down, demorph. We'll go one at a time once we've spotted somewhere to demorph, make us less likely to be spotted. I'll go first. Then you, Ferdie, then Maggie, then Philip. We could have done with some seagull morphs, as geese are too big to go unnoticed, but it's too late now.--

We rose higher into the air, and flew onwards, closer to the ship, Sam peering out for somewhere for us to demorph. The ship was medium sized, not as big as one of those aircraft carriers holding rows of fighter jets, but large enough for a few choppers - and to look very intimidating.

--Well it's massive, but it's not exactly the Titanic, is it?-- said Ferdie, gritting his teeth. --I can't believe people would want to spend months at a time on one of these things. Look how boring it all seems. And it's not exactly pretty, is it?--

--I don't think it was commissioned for Madonna, Flawless,-- I said. --It's a military ship. For militants. No messing around here.--

--God knows what they get up to, on a ship in the middle of the ocean,-- he pondered.

--Probably whatever classified mission they're on,-- replied Maggie. --Come on, I think Sam's found somewhere to demorph.--

Sam had circled the ship, and was now on her way back to us, looking as happy as a goose can look.

--I've found a safe spot to demorph and hide for a while,-- she said. --Inaccessible to humans. We'll be safe for a while there.--

--Nowhere on a navy ship's inaccessible,-- I muttered.

--Well, nowhere that is particularly easy to get to, then,-- retorted Sam. --And nowhere where we wouldn't have plenty of warning of someone coming first.--

Sam gave us directions to this 'safe spot' - a small area on top of one of the many turrets, in the shadow of some dome shaped thing. It looked safe enough to demorph on provided we crouched low enough not to be seen by those on the lower decks.

--Ok, then, everyone, like I said. I'll swoop down first and demorph, and you all follow me and demorph too. We'll stay there for a while and try and get some sleep.--

Sam pointed her beak downwards and soared towards the boat. She flapped wildly for a bit, trying to keep her balance as she lost altitude, then soared over the ship and landed at the safe spot. I could just make out with my geese eyes the changes of the morphing processes. Her long black and white goose neck shortened and grew thicker. Short mouse brown hair spurted out of her oval shaped head. Her yellow bill softened into her human mouth and nose. Her beady black eyes grew into familiar brown human eyes. Her feathers dissolved into pink human skin. Her body grew thinner and more elongated, her arms longer, thinner, sprouting fingers and thumbs from the end of the wings. Her flapping goose feet grew strong and muscular. And last but not least - and it was probably best that we were at a distance now - her blue leotard covered her girly flesh. She stood up and waved her arms to us, then sunk back down out of sight. Ferdie flapped down, landing clumsily. Maggie went next, landing gracefully. The two of them were already demorphing. Maggie was attempting to control her morph, keeping her wings on her back but growing human arms from her chest. I landed last, rapidly finishing my demorph before Maggie was even half way back to human. Sam looked round at our little group. We looked - and this was certainly an understatement - more than a little out of place. I shivered. It was windy this high up, and I could feel sprays of water reaching up from the sea below.

"I'm hungry," said Ferdie, looking around as if he were expecting a MacDonald's to suddenly pop out from nowhere.

Sam rolled her eyes and smirked. "Don't start that again, please, Flawless!" she laughed, hugging her knees. "I think we should try and get some sleep. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm knackered."


	5. Chapter 4: Wakey Wakey Morphers!

Chapter 4

We slept. God knows how we managed it, but we all managed to catch some sleep that night. Whether it was the exhaustion of battle, or our body clocks telling us we'd been awake for far too long, we all dozed off eventually. It was not a pleasant sleep however, for me, at least. For a start, it was chilly. We were high up, exposed to the elements, with no shelter to speak of. But I've been colder, and in situations worse than this. So it wasn't the weather that disturbed my as I slept. I dreamt. I dreamt about all the events that had happened over the last couple of days. So many things had happened to us in such a short space of time. As I dozed, images of the battles swam in front of my eyes. I could hear Ferdie as a half morphed freak, shooting Dracon fire at the Director. Visser Five, laughing in his Hork-Bajir growl. Maggie was still crying, unable to gain altitude in her heavy eagle morph. Sam yelling, cursing, shouting, encouraging. I saw images of the Skrit-Na space ship on which we were captured. Felt again, the experiences of my first morph. Saw myself walking side by side with Asha, acquiring reindeer and mountain goats. And saw again, Asha falling from the sky, and Sam crying her name over and over again.

The others, I feel, didn't sleep too well either, apart from Ferdie, who could pass out anywhere. Maggie shifted and fidgeted all night, from cold or fear or probably both. Sam, I'm not sure if the sleep had any positive effect on her at all. But eventually the night passed, and we were woken, rather abruptly, by a loud foghorn, sounding just meters away from where we lay.

"Whoever set us up right next to the tannoy can go jump in the ocean," mumbled Ferdie.

"Sorry, Flawless," said Sam, yawning. "Didn't realise that was what it was."

"Anyone got the time?" asked Maggie.

"I think we've slept for a long time," I replied. "By the position of the sun, it's late afternoon again. So we've either slept for no time at all, or for about twenty hours."

"Feels like no time at all," grumbled Ferdie. "God, my muscles are so stiff. I think I might morph. I'm never going to wake myself up in this ridiculous human form. Anyone want to join me?" he said, shooting a hopeful glance at Sam.

"What are you going to morph?" asked Sam. "I don't think a polo pony would go down too well on this ship…"

"Just a crow. Or maybe a ferret. Something small and agile."

"Perhaps we should all get in morph," I suggested. "We can't stay up here all day, we should try and find something to eat."

"Thank god! Philip's on my side at last!" laughed Ferdie.

"Yeah, alright," muttered Sam. "But we're not doing anything stupid. We're not out to spy, or fight. We just want to hitch a lift. We keep hidden. We'll morph crows up here. Mags will have to go beetle and ride on my back as she doesn't have a small bird morph. Philip and Ferdie, you guys demorph once we get on deck and go ferret and wasp. Me and Mags will go hare. We'll split up and try to find something to bring back and eat. Philip - you do the searching as wasp, and Ferdie, you do the grabbing. You won't be able to carry much as ferret, but it's better than being caught as human. And remember, guys, this is a military ship. So behave yourselves!"

We morphed crow, and Maggie beetle, and flapped down quickly to the deck. We were almost as obvious as crows as we were as geese, for although crows are common on land, they are rarely seen near the ocean - and certainly not this far out to sea. A normal sailor probably wouldn't notice, but a Controller might, and this could arouse suspicion.

"Wouldn't it be better if we acquired some officers, and stole their clothes?" said Ferdie, demorphing to human. We were crouched down behind a couple of lifeboats. It was awkward and cramped, and, as we grew, it became very uncomfortable.

"We're not acquiring humans, Flawless," I muttered, gazing out through a gap between the boats across the deck. "How would you do it, anyway? Prance up to him and ask to borrow his DNA? I don't think so…"

It was quiet on deck. There were few personnel about, just a few seamen marching about efficiently, and the odd officer gliding along like James Bond. I expected most were below deck, posted at stations, or in their quarters.

"Ok, there's a doorway inside over there. I have no idea where it leads to, but we'll have to take a chance. Philip and Ferdie, you two slip inside through that door. Me and Maggie'll search round above deck, and we'll let you know if we go inside. Keep in touch by thought speak as much as you can."

We morphed our relevant animals. I went wasp - small, speedy, inconspicuous. Ferdie morphed his ferret - light and supple, good for sniffing out anything resembling food. Maggie and Sam went hare; small, super fast and able to lie low, with excellent senses for listening out for danger, and picking up the scent of anything edible.

--Ok, guys,-- said Sam. --I think it's clear. You two go!--

I hadn't had quite as much practise with the wasp morph as Maggie and Ferdie, but I'd been the first one to try and out and knew what to expect. And I'd managed to navigate the three of us to a toilet, which I'm sure you'll agree counts for something. So it wasn't too difficult to follow Ferdie towards the doorway, apart from the fact that he must have forgotten I was a wasp and bounded ahead wildly, and moaning when he'd lost sight of me.

--Philip, where have you got to?-- he said, scanning the space around him for me. Ferrets have ok vision, better than a wasp's but poor compared to a humans'.

--I'm right behind you, muppet. And stop shooting off like that, you'll get yourself lost. Follow me.--

Ferdie whinged and grumbled a bit, like a child whose favourite toy had been taken away, but reluctantly stepped in line and followed me through the doorway.


	6. Chapter 5: Food, Glorious Food!

Chapter 5

It was darkish inside, lit only by harsh florescent strip lighting. The corridors were narrow and the ceilings low - if I'd been in human form, I'd have felt very claustrophobic. As a wasp, it was nothing. We kept close to the walls - Ferdie running down by the skirting board, hidden partly by the pipework, like a large, slender rat. I buzzed along the ceiling, close to the walls. As we followed the scent of food in our noses, we turned many corners and came to many T junctions. I could remember which way to turn on the way back - left or right - but had no idea of the landmarks since my sight was poor.

--Ferdie, I hope you can remember which way we're going. I don't want to get lost on the way back.--

--It all looks identical,-- said Ferdie. --Just pipes and corridors. It's like a maze. There's no signs or anything telling you where anything is.--

--To fox the unwary,-- I muttered. --Just tell me if you think we're completely lost - I'm relying on your eyesight, here, Flawless.--

--Everything all right down there?-- I heard Sam's thought-speak voice, faint, in my head.

--Yeah…everything's fine,-- I said back, hoping it was true.

Eventually, we found the canteen. It had taken a while - we'd had no leads other than our noses, and had to stop and hide a few times when someone came down the corridor. Now in the presence of glorious food, my wasp brain was going mad - it took a lot of control to resist the temptation to go and buzz down to the nearest sweet cake I could find. Ferdie, too, seemed keen to eat. He was crouched down beneath a low pipe, his nose sticking out into the room, whiskers twitching, his paws eagerly moving forwards into the open room.

--Hold back, Flawless,-- I said. --We can't just go bounding in willy-nilly.--

--I'm starving…-- muttered Ferdie. --Just look at the cake there. It's dying to be eaten. And look at those sandwiches! Oh, and those crisps! Mmm! God, I thought sailors just lived on fish and dried fruit!--

--Yes, doesn't it look appetising,-- I said dryly, perfectly aware that there was no way a ferret and a wasp would be able to make off with a twelve inch cake between us. --Come on, I'm going to fly up to the ceiling and look for some leftovers near the ground or something.--

--Leftovers?-- said Ferdie, appalled. --If I'm going to smuggle anything out of here, I want it to be something that is actually edible!--

--Shut up, Flawless, and just do as I say,-- I snapped.

Finally, after much sulking from Ferdie, and much argument from myself, we managed to get into the kitchen and find a low shelf on which stood small boxed sandwiches and biscuits. Dodging feet and eyelines, Ferdie hauled as much as possible between his tiny ferret teeth and we scampered back out of the canteen and back up on to deck. We left the sandwiches under a lifeboat, and informed Sam of their whereabouts, and then went back for more. Tediously, and dangerously, we went back for more, three more times until we all had a sandwich to eat as human. Maggie and Sam had found some leftover cereal bars someone had left out on deck. The four of us ate in silence, crouched as human back behind the boats.

"You're being unusually quiet, Sam," said Ferdie. "What's up? Taste of food never felt so good before?"

Sam stared at Ferdie for a second, her eyes unblinking, her mouth chewing her food repeatedly.

"Yes…" she swallowed. "I was debating when to tell you guys this…"

"Tell us what?" I asked.

"Look…it's all my fault, whatever happened, ok, so I'm really sorry about his, but…"

"Sam, what is it?" asked Ferdie. He looked at Maggie, who averted her eyes.

Sam took a deep breath. "This ship," she said, "is crawling with Controllers. It's not a British Naval ship at all. It's in the hands of the Yeerks."


	7. Chapter 6: The Vote

Chapter 6

"What do you mean?" asked Ferdie.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" asked Sam, staring at him. "This ship is riddled with Controllers! How can I make that any more clear?"

"Wait, wait," I said. "Hold back. You're saying this ship is controlled by the Yeerks? I thought it was a military ship?"

"Yes, well, it's obviously been taken over by the Yeerks."

"How did you find this out?" I asked. The four of us were still sitting in our little space between the lifeboats, gorging down our sandwiches.

"Whilst you and Ferdie were getting food, me and Maggie snuck inside as well and came across one of the officers talking on the radio."

"We didn't get the whole thing, but it was pretty obvious what we were dealing with," said Maggie.

"We only heard a few words - we couldn't get too close, so it was difficult to make everything out - even in hare morph. But three words were clear enough," said Sam. "Visser, Andalite and Artefact. Tell me that's just code for the Royal Navy."

I put down my sandwich and stared at Sam, unsure what to say. Ferdie narrowed his eyes.

"So what did you do?" he asked. "Did you get to hear anything else?"

"A bit," replied Sam. "We stayed put for a while, waiting for the coast to clear. But then, it seemed like every time we heard two officers talking, it was so obvious they were Controllers! Every other word just fitted into the whole Yeerk-taking-over-the-world thing. And Philip, I'll bet that 'classified mission' you told us about at the port has something to do with Andalite technology."

"Two thousand miles out to sea, somewhere in the Atlantic ocean," I pondered. "The itinerary said this ship would be spending some time out there."

"That sounds a bit dodgy for a military ship," said Maggie. "Don't they just go where there's a war?"

"Well not really. From what I hear, military ships tend to hang about in the middle of nowhere all the time," I said.

"We should have guessed something like this would be the case when we learnt that the director of the port was a Controller. He's probably got Yeerks taking over ships every day!" said Sam.

"The military would certainly be one of the top organisations on their list to control. Think of the power they'd command. They'd be no hope for our country then," Maggie muttered dryly.

"No doubt the captain's a Controller too. Wonder if they infested him recently for the sake of the mission, or if he's always been a Controller?" Ferdie said, throwing his crusts overboard.

"Who knows?" I replied. "But we should probably assume this whole ship is set up for the Yeerks. I expect it will have it's own in built Yeerk pool, that Eramas told us about."

"Nothing like a little dip in the Jacuzzi on board…" said Ferdie, grinning sarcastically.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Maggie. "We can't stay here now - if one of the crew sees us, we'll be recognised and caught, Visser Five will be landing on deck before we can even think about morphing!"

"No doubt about that," said Sam. "We get off, right now, and go the rest as sharks. Everyone ok with that?"

Maggie nodded, eager to get off the ship. But I was less convinced. This was a nifty little chance we had going for ourselves here. No way was I going to let it go. I took a deep breath, and said,

"Guys, we can't just leave them to it!"

"Philip, what are you talking about?" Maggie said.

"This about what an opportunity this is! We are right in the heart of a top secret Yeerk operation - they know nothing of our presence - and we're just going to walk away? We could gather some info - it would be really very useful once we find Jake and the others!"

"Philip, this isn't a mission we're on here. I'm not putting everyone's lives in danger to play James Bond. We get in the sea, we swim. End of story," Sam. Of course.

"Sam, how many times will we get a chance like this again?" I insisted. "This could be the only chance we get to find out exactly how far the invasion has gone, we could get all sorts of inside details we'll never know otherwise! Look. I'm not saying we try to blow up the ship or anything - we could just find out a bit more, find out exactly what we're up against. We've not exactly had much experience so far, have we? A run in with a couple of choppers and a few guys with guns? That's probably just scratching the surface of the whole Yeerk operation. We could find out right now exactly what we were up against!"

I took a breather, trying to catch Sam's eye, who was glaring at me.

"Philip, I have already told you what we're doing, we-"

"Hang about, Sam," Ferdie interrupted. Sam narrowed her eyes at him. "You've just made up your mind - what about everyone else?"

"Ferdie - are you actually going along with him! Do you want to get everyone caught?"

"I think you're over exaggerating a bit here!" I retorted. "If we do this carefully, there's no saying we'll get caught! Have you forgotten we have the power to morph?"

"Have you forgotten we're on the run from one of the most high ranking Yeerks on Earth, onboard a ship that he probably controls, and would shoot us the second he saw us? We are getting off this ship right now, that's the end of the matter!"

"Maybe we should have a vote," muttered Maggie, who'd at last spoken up.

"What?" said Sam.

"I think Philip might have a point. We shouldn't let a chance like this go just because you tell us too."

"But - I'm the leader here!" shrieked Sam.

"So maybe being the leader you should listen to everyone else's opinions!" I said. "I think we should vote."

"Fine. Whatever," snorted Sam. "Anyone in favour of getting off this Yeerk infested hell-hole, and doing what we set out to do, raise your hands."

She stuck her hand up in the air like a teacher's pet in class. She sniffed.

"Ok! And anyone up for Philip's crazy, suicidal, kamikaze, throw-ourselves-at-Visser-Five's-feet, put your hand up now."

I put my chin in the air and raised my hand. As did Maggie. Ferdie followed suite, although you could see in his eyes he was sorry not to agree with the wishes of his crush.

"Well, I think that settles it," murmured Maggie. "Three against one. Mission it is."

"You better know what you're doing, Second Lieutenant Lawless," said Ferdie, slapping me on the shoulder.


	8. Chapter 7: Passing Out Parade

Chapter 7

_The passing out parade at Sandhurst is a fine and prestigious tradition. A new set of young officers, turned out and ready for service. Training completed, we were now eager and willing to join our regiments and serve our queen and country. Two hundred and fifty of us, from all sorts of backgrounds, were formed up perfectly on the main parade square in front of the grand Georgian building. Sniff backs, stiff upper-lipped, and all holding back the tears. _

_The families and friends of all the young soldier's sat in their smart suits and dresses, mothers sniffing into hankies, fathers never more proud. I could see my parents, smiling. My father nodding sincerely. My mother entranced by the music of the military band. My girlfriend Elena smiling her perfect smile. My sister taking sneaky photos on her mobile phone. My brother Ferdinand fidgeting in his dark suit and looking at his watch._

_To the left, I could see some of the NCOs we'd had the pleasure of meeting during our training. The fearsome corporals. The sadistic sergeants. The dead pan captains. All dressed in their finest mess dress - red coats, black trousers, boots so polished they looked like mirrors, and swords glinting in the sunlight. And us new officers, turned out more smartly like we'd never been turned out before. My fellow former cadets, friends, with whom I'd never got through the punishing routines. I glanced for the umpteenth time at the gold threaded little pips on my shoulders, an indication of my newly appointed status as a ranking officer. We were leaders now. Leaders of men._


	9. Chapter 8: Discovery

Chapter 8

"Absolutely, Sub Visser. The artefact was retrieved at twenty-one hundred hours, Earth, GTM time. Yes, Sub Visser. Just let me inform the rest of the crew. Of course. I would be…delighted."

Five hours later, and we had finally stumbled across some relatively useful information. The four of us were in insect morph, cramped together in a dark corner of what Sam had informed us was the Primary Reconnaissance Office. I don't know how she knew that, whether she managed to read a sign - perhaps she is better at interpreting the eyesight of her wasp morph better than the rest of us. The room appeared to be your standard marine style radio-telecommunications office, among one of the upper decks. As far as my wasp eyesight could see, we were in the corner of a medium sized room, filled with twenty or so computer terminals, lined up against three of the four walls. Monitors, speakers, radios, microphones, headsets - all your basic equipment lay about the room. Being a wasp gave me a completely new take on the environment - with my compound eyes, I could actually see the infra-red beams connecting some of the electronic equipment. At many of the computer terminals sat a member of the crew - mostly low ranking but with a few more distinguished looking officers here and then. Of course, it was highly unlikely the ranking here had anything to do with the British Navy system - we had long accepted that the vast majority of crew were Controllers.

--Sounds interesting,-- commented Ferdie, listening to the young officer to whom we'd been listening to for the last couple of minutes. He was talking into his headset - talking, obviously, to a high ranking Yeerk - whilst studying what looked like a blurry photograph on his screen. He seemed to be trembling, from what I could make out, and his voice was shaky. Was he nervous, or exciting, or both? We soon found out. The Controller stood up and addressed the crew.

"Listen up everyone," he said. He had a typical commanding British accent. His stance was that of an important commander, but with a strange, arrogant sneering swagger which was most unusual. Most alien.

"The artefact, having been retrieved from the ocean floor an hour ago, is soon to be studied by this very department. I shall receive more detailed information in the briefing but I can tell you now - this is an exciting step for our race! A very exciting step indeed." He pointed at a picture of something on his screen, and the rest of the crew turned round and gazed at it.

"For if this artefact is what we think it is - and we are more that certain it is - it is something that we have been trying to get hold of for a long time - since the beginning of the war with the Andalites. Technology denied from us for such a long time. Technology that could be one step closer to helping us retrieve the Escafil Device - and one step closer for our great leader, Visser Three, to openly declare war on this wretched planet!"

--My god…-- muttered Maggie.

--They're really up on their motivational speeches, aren't they?-- said Sam.

--Told you it would be worth it, Sam,-- said Ferdie brightly.

--I'm not sure I want to hear anymore!-- moaned Maggie. --It sounds pretty terrifying!--

--Let's stick it out,-- I encouraged. --We're learning loads more than I imagined. This could give us a real lead when we start fighting back against these guys.--

I thought back to what we'd heard over the last few hours. At first, we'd got hold of very little - partly because we kept getting lost in utility cupboards and partly because we seemed to run into lowly crewmen who just grumbled about being bored. It was difficult to tell whether they were Controllers, or not. But the more we spied, the more we heard. And the more we heard, the more we'd learnt.

--They've definitely found something under the ocean, that's for sure,-- said Sam. --And from the way they talk about it, it's got to be Andalite. Certainly not human, and no way it would be Yeerk, if they're kicking up such a fight. I reckon they've come across the remains of an Andalite ship!--

--A ship, on earth?-- gushed Ferdie. --How exciting! Maybe then the human race will wake up to the fact that we're being infested by aliens!--

--Ferdie!-- I snapped. --God, for once would you get your brain in gear before you open your mouth? We don't know that this is a ship at all!--

--That Yeerk just said they're one step closer to getting the power to morph, though,-- said Maggie. --It's got to be something big.--

--Not if they're a thousand steps from getting the technology,-- muttered Sam, who was probably still fuming from not getting her own way about leaving the ship.

I sighed. Clearly the Yeerks were excited about something, or else they wouldn't have commandeered a Naval ship to hoist up the remains of something from the bottom of the ocean. The problem was, we had no idea, other than wild guesstimates, what it might be. And we'd learnt from experience that the Yeerks tended to make a big deal out of the slightest little discovery.

--Did Eramas say anything about an Andalite ship crashing into earth?-- I asked.

--He said that the resistance were given the power to morph by a renegade Andalite,-- replied Ferdie.

--Yeah, and that's all we know,-- said Sam. --Unless you know anything else, Maggie?--

We'd rescued Maggie from the hands of the Yeerks after escaping back to earth ourselves, with the help of the Andalite Eramas. But Maggie had spent some time in the captivity of the Skrit-Na before being captured by the Yeerks. She'd also later been given the morphing power by Eramas - seconds before he died.

--Aye, now I think about it,-- said Maggie, --he did say something useful. He was jabbering on about everything - most of which I had no idea what he was on about. But he said they'd had a report that there'd been a final battle just above the Earth's orbit, between the Yeerks and an Andalite. I can't remember which Yeerk it was - it was one of the Vissers, though. And I don't recall the name of the Andalite either, but I get the impression he was pretty important. Prince something or other. He was killed on Earth by this Yeerk Visser, not that long ago. A huge blow for the Andalites. Maybe, before they landed on Earth, the Yeerks damaged the Andalite's ship, causing a piece of it to fall to earth?--

--And now the Navy's discovered it, and the Yeerks are infesting anyone who knows anything about it, and taken over their ship?-- I suggested.

--Obviously, they can't let the human race know about it,-- said Maggie.

--What about this thing for all-out war?-- asked Sam. --Eramas told us Vissers Five and Three were planning for all-out war, but they were being held back by the top dog, Visser One?--

--I guess now they think they might have the means to take charge,-- said Ferdie, buzzing his little gossamer wings in anticipation.

--At least this gives us an indication of how far out to sea we are. The itinerary said the ship was scheduled to carry out some task two thousand miles out - I expect this is it,-- Maggie said.

--Nearly half way across then,-- said Sam. --Saves us flying, at least.--

--Thought you wanted to get off this ship,-- I said.

--Yea, well…-- muttered Sam, but was interrupted by Maggie.

--Guys - that Controller's leaving!-- she hissed. --His briefing!--

--Let's follow him,-- said Sam, powering her own wings into action.

--Oh, yes,-- drooled Ferdie. --Hello, Sam the Wonder Woman!--

Sam laughed, as she buzzed down parallel to the walls, keeping her eyes fixed on the Controller's head. --Or Wonder Wasp, as the case may be.--


	10. Chapter 9: Weapons and War Princes

Chapter 9

The four of us flew mostly in silence, the anticipation of what to expect brewing in all of us. Sam led the way, skimming the ceiling, with Ferdie and Maggie just behind, hugging the walls. I followed up behind, keeping a watch out for other Controllers catching sight of us. Wasps and beetles on a ship in the middle of the ocean can arouse suspicion among suspicious Controllers.

--Er, guys, he's heading down another level,-- I heard Sam call, and moments later, I saw the huge shape of the Controller drop down into the stairwell. We followed, emerging into an even longer, narrower, damper smelling corridor than the one we'd just left. The Controller turned right, and strode briskly down the hall, we followed, he turned at the end of the corridor, we followed him further, he turned again.

--I dread to think how we're going to find our way back…-- whispered Maggie.

--Oh come on, Mags!-- laughed Ferdie. --Do you not just love it down here?--

--Guys - shush-- said Sam. --He's going through a doorway.--

Finally, the Controller seemed to reach his destination. He stepped through the doorway, and we buzzed in over his head and quickly made for the ceiling again. The Controller shut the door behind him, took a deep breath, and turned around.

"Sub Visser forty-two," he said. "Thank you for taking the time to report your findings to me."

I scanned the room. We were in a large, warehouse style room, with no port-holes on any of the walls. There was a complete absence of any kind of furniture - no computer terminals, no chairs, very little equipment. The whole room was lit by several rows of florescent strip lighting, hanging from the ceiling. To us, they seemed as big as aircraft carriers. And then, as I focused my wasp eyes, in the middle of the room was what seemed like a small army, standing in formation in a three-sided square. In the centre stood a man, tall, dark haired, wearing a full Commander's uniform, with the addition of a Dracon beam in a shoulder hoister. It was the same guy I'd seen on the computer at the port - the Yeerk infested captain of the ship, Lort-Strelitz.

--What the heck are those things?-- said Maggie, fearfully.

I knew straight away what she was referring too. The troops around Lort-Strelitz included not just human Controllers, but Hork-Bajir and a number of other alien races. My wasp eyes couldn't see anything clearly over a few meters in front of me, but I could make out some hazy shapes. Smaller, stumpy little creatures with greyish skin and large, round heads. And larger, terrifying looking worm-like creatures, with many multiple jointed arms, jelly-like eyes and huge, circular round mouths.

--Uggh,-- muttered Ferdie. --I'm really not sure I want to know!--

--I think they must be Gedds or Taxxons,-- said Sam. --Eramas said something about those life forms being infested, didn't he?--

--Did he?-- I retorted. --How did you remember something like that?--

--News that alien species are being controlled isn't the sort of thing to slip your mind,-- Sam replied dryly.

--Eramas mentioned those names to me, too,-- said Maggie. --That the Taxxons were voluntary Controllers, with huge appetites and a flair for cannibalism.--

--The Taxxons have _got _to be the worms then,-- said Ferdie.

--Hush, guys,-- said Sam. --Lort-Strelitz is speaking up…--

"Intrid four-nine-zero," acknowledged Lort-Strelitz - Sub Visser Forty Two - with a curt smile. "I understand that it will be your department carrying out the analysis of this artefact?"

"Yes, Sub Visser. My team are currently liasing with the Mother Ship regarding issues of transportation devices. I have informed my team of their duty."

"Good. I'm sure you no doubt agree that this is a quite momentous finding of ours, and that the following weeks will be certainly reveal some fascinating and valuable information that will be of benefit to us, and the great Visser Three, when it comes to the next Council review meeting."

"Open war," smiled Intrid four-nine-zero. "I'm sure our superiors will be most gracious of our work."

"No doubt," agreed Lort-Strelitz. "The time has come at last to overthrow the incompetent Visser One's dreams of a quiet war, and get this invasion into top gear."

"Absolutely."

"Have you been granted admission to the artefact yet, Intrid?"

"Not yet, Sub Visser. I have only been shown holographs of the item."

"Well, you must take a look. It gets the adrenaline of this body going just looking at it. Serath - the artefact," Lort-Strelitz boomed.

"Yes, sir," said a new voice.

A movement near the back of the room. A large Hork-Bajir stood to attention and strode round the back of the group of Controllers. After a moment, he reappeared pulling some kind of trolley on which stood a large object inside a protective transparent box.

--Come on, let's get a bit closer,-- said Sam. --On the ceiling, right above, if we can manage it. Try to stay out of the light.--

We flew upwards and over the captain, waiting fearfully for the artefact to be revealed. The Hork-Bajir came into the space, removed the box like covering and stood back to give the Controller Intrid a better look.

It was definitely a weapon of some sort, there was no doubt about that. A large, gunmetal black cylindrical weapon, maybe six of seven feet long and at least two feet in diameter. One end of the cylinder speared to be attached to some kind of sheet like object, twisted and gnarled as if had been peeled off the frame of a larger object. Smooth grey piping ran the length of the weapon. The whole object appeared to have sustained heavy damaged - it was blackened and scorched, with chunks of metal having been blown off here and there.

"We believe it to be a minor slave Andalite shredder," explained Lort-Strelitz. "One of the reserve weapons, usually hidden from view by the engines. Capable of operation in both normal and Zero Space. Highly dangerous. Of course, this was a ship at the top end of the range, so we know little of it's specification, but there is no doubt this weapon was of the elite class, as well."

Intrid nodded, and edged a little closer. His expression - from what I could make out - was one moulding both intense excitement and fearful respect. He gazed at it for a moment, then tore himself away and addressed Lort-Strelitz.

"Have you managed to power it up at all?"

"Yes, briefly," said Lort-Strelitz. "With a powerful generator, it can be operated for short periods at a time. Despite it's impairments, it is practically intact - most of the damage was to the tough outer shell of the shredder. The inner workings themselves are almost untouched. With a generator on loan from the Mother ship, it will be no doubt be more than capable of fulfilling it's duties."

Intrid nodded. "And this…you believe that this was once a part of the ship belonging to…" He held his breath, knowing the answer.

"To the Beast Elfangor, yes. That is what we believe."


	11. Chapter 10: EMP

Chapter 10

Maggie gushed. --Prince Elfangor. Yes. That was the name I remember Eramas mentioning. A great Andalite war-prince, murdered by Visser Three.--

--No question this is a major finding for them, then,-- I said.

--Wonder what they're going to do with it?-- asked Ferdie. --All that talk about open warfare? Surely they don't expect to go and blow up the capital with that one gun?--

We soon found out, of course. Lort-Strelitz seemed to be on a roll, boastfully telling the officer Controller - Intrid - about his plans. The officer looked bloodthirsty. He stood gazing at the object, his tongue slowly licking his upper lip, which was curled into a slight smile. His eyes, like Lort-Strelitz's, were wide with excitement.

"The Beast Elfangor…" murmured Intrid. His eyes flicked up to meet Lort-Strelitz's. "With no disrespect intended to the great Visser Three, it is almost a shame that Elfangor is no longer around. I would have loved to watch his reaction when he observes the power of this weapon possesses."

"Quite," smiled Lort-Strelitz. "You are, I imagine, aware of the potential of this weapon?"

"I have been briefed on it's Zero Space capabilities, yes. However, I am unsure of it's applications in an atmospheric condition, such as Earth. As far as I am aware, Earth does not possess the technology of Zero Space travel?"

"You are quite right, Intrid. Earth does not possess such technology. Wd shall not be using this weapon for any type of aggressive manoeuvre, Zero space or otherwise. This planet does not do well in the inter-planetary arena. However, what it does do rather well is information. The planet is obsessed with knowledge. Without knowledge, it is nothing."

"And with nothing, it is in a perfect place for us to move in openly?"

"This weapon can produce a simple electromagnetic pulse. Primitive to Yeerk technology, and almost laughable to the Andalites. But it can have a profound effect on human technology. One pulse from any of our main ships, aimed at a localised target on Earth, will cause failure in all human electronic equipment within a certain radius."

"I am under the impression that humans possess this technology as well. Have they not taken steps to protect themselves against such devices?"

"Intrid, you are correct in saying that the human race also possesses this technology. However, this technology once belonged to the Andalites. As ghastly as they are, they are also far more advanced than humans."

"Or indeed, Yeerks," said Intrid reluctantly.

Lort-Strelitz twitched. For a moment I though he was going to order one of his soldiers to remove the young officers' head from his body. However, he seemed to possess greater self control than Visser Five, and carried on,

"True. This is why one of our greatest pleasures will be to see the Andalite race bow at our feet… However, we are straying from the track. As I was saying, the human race possesses the technology of the electromagnetic pulse-"

"The EMP,"

"Yes, fine, the EMP," said Lort-Strelitz impatiently. "However, it is generally not used in their everyday society, and because of this, the vast majority of human organisations do not bother to protect themselves against this device. In addition, the Andalite version of this…EMP…is far more powerful than any human version. This weapon can project the pulse, causing electronic equipment failure within a radius of eight thousand miles!"

"An improvement on the human five mile radius, then, Sub Visser?"

"A fantastic improvement, Intrid four-nine-zero. And one, I am sure, that the human race will be unable to defend itself against. If we are able to get this weapon working, and present it to the Council of Thirteen, it may just persuade them to allow us to over mind Visser One's judgement and carry out with Visser Three's plans for open warfare." He stood back and smiled manically. "And for my contribution," he pondered, "I could be made a full Visser!"

--Do you know, I swear that bloke stole that idea out of some blockbuster film," muttered Ferdie. "He bares more than a passing resemblance to James Bond, don't you think?"

Sam was silent. I think the reality was beginning to dawn on all of us - with the possible exception of Ferdie - that we were just a drop in the ocean compared to these guys.

--What does this mean for us, though?-- asked Maggie. --I mean, us morphers and those American guys? Not the human race as a whole.--

--Well,-- I said. --There's five human morphers in the US, and four of us. An army of nine against an army of god knows how many? When Visser One's in charge, we've still got a chance. Alright - a very small chance - but still a chance. With all out war we've got nothing.--

--So…we have to stop them?-- asked Maggie. --Get rid of that weapon somehow? Surely not…--

There was a tense silence. We know that we had to prevent the Yeerks from powering this weapons, but to do so would be almost impossible.

--No,-- said Sam at last. --We can't go starting a mission this dangerous. There's no way we'd be able to pull of any kind of plan. I think we should get out while we still can. The Yeerks don't yet know we're onboard - we should keep it that way. Save ourselves to fight when we find the others.--

For once, we all agreed with her. Sam had given me my opportunity to spy on the Yeerks, despite the obvious danger. It would be foolish of me to expect her to agree to another, such perilous, task.


	12. Chapter 11: Work Hard, Play Hard

Chapter 11

_Soon after leaving Sandhurst, I enlisted in the 7th Hussars, a smartish cavalry regiment, although, before I took to my duties, I was posted to a camp in Dorset, south-west of England, to acquire the specific skills I needed to drive the armoured cars and try and get the guns pointing roughly towards the target. A group of us, fresh faced young officers - one of whom I'd known at Sandhurst - arrived bursting with military potential like young pups, where we were quickly fed the basics of tank warfare. Nineteen years old, and determined to prove ourselves. The training was not nearly as strict as it had been at the Academy, and so we still found time to learn some of the more important life skills the army offered, such as male bonding, long drinking sessions and how to throw a jolly good party behind the commanding officer's back, with the young ladies from the village, and once or twice a flock of geese we'd smuggled up from the lake, just to make things more lively._

_Once my training in Dorset was complete, I faced the greatest challenge of any new officer - standing up in front of my platoon for the first time. My nerves were racing as I finished doing up my boots, put on my beret, and strode in to the drill hall to meet my new troop. There they were - a bunch of privates, lance corporals, corporals and sergeants, soldiers ranging from boys still in their teens to roughened old scouts who had seen it all before. I knew most of their opinions of me would be that I was an inexperienced upper-class twit, who probably knew more about commanding a drinking squad than a troop of soldiers and needed to be shown his place as quickly as possible. But, chin high, and boots polished, I introduced myself to my new platoon. I thought that, as long as I made sure everyone knew what they were doing - half the time, I had no clue myself! - and could do it with a sense of humour, I'd be ok. _

_We were soon given our new orders. A simple peacekeeping mission in Northern Ireland. Scouting the perimeters, keeping an eye on national boarders and generally trying to prevent any vulgar brawls. For a first mission, it was an enjoyable experience. The orders were simple, the work not too difficult, it built up my confidence and the soldiers soon began to respect me. I even become friends with the crusty old colour sergeant, who'd, from the start, took me as naïve teenager, playing cops and robbers._

_And at 1800 hours every evening, the rest of the young officers and I set out into town to cause chaos in the drinking arena - out of sight of the soldiers, of course, who thought we were all stiff upper-lipped wooden signs, whose fathers all owned half of Scotland. It was the ultimate work-hard, play-hard way of life. We worked our guts out during the day, only to drink them out in the evening. The towns people quite understandably took us for a bunch of foul youths, who could never possibly do any work because we were always drunk. But we took this lifestyle, because it was widely accepted in the army that everyday could be your last. We had to have a good time, to keep ourselves sane - because it was perfectly possible that the next day we could be shot. And so, my first mission paved the way for my later career in the army, both in and out of barracks. But then we received our next orders. We were going back to England to start training in urban warfare. Training was to become deadly serious. We were being posted to Iraq._


	13. Chapter 12: The Knowledge

Chapter 12

--I suppose we should demorph again,-- said Sam wearily. --According to the clock, we've been in morph for nearly two hours.--

Although we'd spent the last five or so hours listening in on the crew's conversations, it had been necessary for us to find somewhere for us to de- and remorph every two hours. We'd so far made do with toilets, cupboards and various other nooks and crannies. Unfortunately, we now had a bit of a problem.

--Er, where, exactly?-- asked Maggie. --Didn't the officer guy close the door behind him?--

Sam shifted her wasp body so that she was facing the door. --God, I don't know - I can't see far enough in this wasp body! Maggie, I don't suppose you can do any better, can you?--

--Sorry, no can do,-- she replied. --My beetle eyes are probably worse than your wasp eyes.--

--Ok, everyone, you guys stay where you are. I'm going to fly over and see if he shut it all the way.-- I sensed her power her little wings and buzz along, close to the ceiling, muttering as she went. A moment later, she returned.

--Typical,-- she said. --Shut. Bolted. No way we can get out. We've only got about ten minutes left in morph - we'll have to do it in here!--

--What the hell? Are you taking the mick, Sam?-- said Ferdie. --Could I just point out that there are one or two nasty looking Controllers lurking about this room? I'd rather get trapped in morph than get spotted and infested by that Lord-Scary guy!--

--For once Flawless might be right, Sam,-- I said. --Not to interfere with your leadership or whatever, but there's no way we can demorph in here.--

--Fine, we'll just have to wait for someone to leave the room.--

--Didn't he say that young officer has to go and brief his team or do some kind of analysis?-- said Maggie.

--Think so,-- said Sam, --but that might not soon enough. And probably, with our luck, fifteen minutes from now.--

--When we'd all be stuck as insects,-- I said wryly.

Sam sighed. --Just when my backside's on the line for you guys, irony has to shove it's nose in and start messing things up.--

This got a laugh out of Ferdie.

--Shut it, Flawless,-- I said. --Look, Sam, this was my idea. I persuaded you to come this far, even though you didn't want to. You wanted out. Don't blame this on yourself.--

Of course, Ferdie had to go and ruin my tender moment.

--Absolutely,-- he said, trying to keep any trace of humour out of his voice. --If irony is sticking it's nose up anyone's bum, it's Philip's.--

--Flawless, I don't think you've quite grasped the seriousness of the situation yet, have you?-- I said impatiently. --We are stuck in a room full of Controllers with no means of escape, with less than ten minutes left in morph!--

--Actually, I've got…--

--Just because you morphed thirty seconds after everyone else doesn't mean you can't get trapped as a wasp. So why don't you engage that long lost part of your brain of yours, used for thinking, and help us find a way out of this?--

That shut him up.

Two minutes later, fate was finally on our side.

--Sam - someone's coming through the door!-- Maggie yelled.

Sam leapt into action.

--Philip, Ferdie - this might be our only chance to get out,-- she hissed. --Get out the door! Quickly! Hurry!--

I powered my wings, like an helicopter pilot raring to go, and flew towards the door. My wasp body was light and speedy, and infinitely agile, but it seemed as if the door was miles away. Ferdie buzzed in front of me. I flew to catch him up, hoping that we were both headed in the right direction. Our wasp eyesight wasn't all that spectacular for seeing across long distances.

--Maggie! Get moving!-- shouted Sam. They were still a few feet behind us.

--Sam - you go!-- called Maggie. --It's just my beetle body - it's not as good a flier as you!--

--I'm not leaving you, Maggie - come on!--

I reached the door, with Ferdie in front and Maggie catching up. I saw the vast shape of a human Controller just inches below me. And then, for no apparent reason, he looked up.

--Guy's, move!-- I head Sam call. --Just get out! He might not have noticed you!--

"What the hell are wasps doing below deck?" said the Controller.

--So much for not noticing,-- said Maggie.

"What did you say, Carlok?" asked Lort-Strelitz, clearly annoyed at not being properly addressed.

"Sub Visser - there's some bleeding wasps in here! You don't get wasps on a ship!"

Lort-Strelitz was silent for a moment. Then he pushed past Intrid and strode towards us.

"Shut the door - lock them in!" he bellowed.

--Ferdie - Maggie - Philip - out! Go! Get on deck!-- I heard Sam shout. --Don't demorph until you're out of sight!--

The huge steel door slammed shut behind us, as we flew out into the corridor. But I could still hear the voices from the warehouse.

--Arrgh!-- Maggie yelled, nipping though just as the door shut.

--Maggie - you ok?-- I asked.

--Yes…but, I think I might have yelled in public though speak…--

--Public? You mean…-- I said.

"Fugitives!" Lort-Strelitz shouted, putting two and two together. "The fugitives are here on this ship! And you just let them get away!"

--Guys, lets go!-- I called, desperately trying to remember the way out. I could hear the Controllers shouting something behind me, although they were getting more difficult to make out as we left them behind us.

We raced down the corridor, a pathetic group of insects. Up the stairwells. Down corridors. Up more stairs and round corners and down hallways. Finally, we reached the deck, and flew behind the lifeboats where we'd crouched before. It was dark, now - it would be very difficult for the Controllers to see us.

--Demorph!-- I cried.

I felt the changes happening before I even had the chance to think about it. My body grew upwards and outwards, expanding, elongating. Long, black antennae were sucked into my forehead like spaghetti. My six multi-jointed arms fused together to form human arms and legs. The course yellow and black hairs dissolved, melting together like wax, to form my familiar human skin. My face flattened, my mouth replacing mandibles, regular human eyes emerging out of the ugly bulbous compound eyes of the wasp. My normal eyesight appeared.

"Sam - I think I agree with you at last! Jump overboard? Sharks - now, right?"

I looked around, waiting for Sam's answer.

"Sam!" I glared at Maggie. "Maggie - where's Sam?"

Maggie looked around, wildly. She was as white as a sheet. "She…she was right behind me! Right before the guy shut the door!"

"Sam! Oh, god! Sam!" Ferdie cried, the truth dawning on him.

We had left her down in the warehouse.


	14. Chapter 13: In Command

Chapter 13

"Well, we have to go back for her!" cried Ferdie, trying not to panic. "We can't leave her down there! How long does she have left in morph?" He looked around wildly, as if searching for a clock. His eyes, red and glistening with the first signs of tears I'd seen in him in a long time, found the door to below-deck, and he looked away sharply.

"About thirty seconds," I muttered.

"So it's either spend the rest of her life as wasp - which, I can assure you, won't be very long when Lort-bleeding-Strelitz gets his hands on her - or demorph and become infested! Geez, Philip, what the heck's happening to her? I can't stay here and think about it - I have to get back, I'm going down-"

"Guys! Please! Calm down!" cried Maggie. "We can't sit around here arguing and worrying. We need a plan." She looked me in the eye. "Philip?"

"What?" I snapped. I'd been pretty much in my own world since we discovered Sam had been missing a couple of minutes ago. Thinking about how this had all been my fault. I'd been the one who'd wanted to go down and spy on the sub-visser, me who'd wanted to find out about their plan. Sam, of course, had wanted nothing to do with it. She'd been talking sense ever since she'd found out that the ship was riddled with Controllers, and she'd made sense when she'd wanted everyone off the deck as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I had to go and insist on doing what I'd thought was right. It had been me who'd led us down there. And me, who'd now gone and got Sam trapped.

"We need to make up a plan," repeated Maggie. "Philip? You've been in the army - you must have had to deal with situations like this? What do you think we should do?"

I could see Ferdie staring at her. Obviously, he knew about my past in regards to the army. Maggie, it seemed, had the idea that I was a some hero-come-intelligence officer, veteran of a dozen wars. How wrong could she be?

"I'm not making any more plans, Maggie," I told her. "It's my fault Sam is trapped down there. I can't make plans. I just end up screwing everything up."

"Philip - it wasn't your fault!" she said. "We all agreed to go down there - remember? Even if Sam had tried to stop you getting your own way, I backed you up, didn't I? I went along with you, supporting you, trying change Sam's mind? So did Flawless. It's no one's fault. And if it was, it would be just as much mine and Ferdie's as it would be yours."

She glared at me with her big green eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, her red hair dishevelled, but she'd never looked more in control. Here was a girl who knew what to say. How could I have ever thought her a weak link?

I closed my eyes for a second, then looked at her. "Maggie, thank god we have someone like you who can act in a crisis. Maybe you should be the one in charge here, after all."

"Philip - stop trying to deal out roles and come up with a plan!" she barked.

"Whoa. Go girl," said Ferdie, gaining his composure. "Come on, then Philip. Just because you've screwed up once doesn't mean you have to do it again."

He was, of course, referring to my mistake as an officer, but I was grateful for the way he worded it so as Maggie would assume if he was talking about Sam.

"That's right," she said. "You're the one who can put this right. You can do this, Philip."

"Ok," I said. "I'll do this."

And for the first time in over a year, in a situation I vowed never to put myself in again, I took command.

* * *

"Ok, guys," I said, just as if I were talking to my platoon. "Step one. We need to work out our priorities, so-"

"Philip, stop doing everything by the book! We haven't got time for you to get your knickers in a twist trying to spit out your plans in some pointless, systematic order!"

"Er, you're right," I said, only half listening. "Ok. Plan. Right. The situation is, Sam is trapped below deck in the proximity of the enemy."

Maggie and Ferdie nodded.

"The mission is, to get Sam back without allowing her to become infested, or killed. The method is…" I took a deep breath, clearing my mind, trying to come up with something on the spot. My time in the army, disastrous or not, had no doubt prepared me for having to make last second plans - and usually under fire. "The Yeerks already know we're on board. There's no point in trying to keep hidden again. We morph insects, and they'll probably try to flush us out with bug-spray. We stay on board as humans, and we'll get captured. We go in, hard and fast. Forget stealth. Find Sam. Get her out. Take down anyone, and anything that gets in our way."

"So we go battle morphs?" asked Maggie.

"Battle morphs indeed," I said. "We need our animal senses to find Sam, and agility and speed to escape from the Controllers. Bare in mind that, if we're lucky, they might not try to shoot at us. Party because we're on board a ship, and there's only a certain amount of damage one can do with a Dracon before one damages important equipment. Secondly, they're probably on the phone to Visser Five this second - and we all know that, apart from the getting the morphing cube, there's nothing he wants more than a couple of good, morph capable host bodies like his boss. Unharmed, of course."

Ferdie nodded.

"Good. Battle morphs, now, then."

"And try not to let this one go pear-shaped, Philip," muttered Ferdie. "You know how I feel about Sam."

"This isn't just for you, Flawless," I said. "Or even the four of us. This is for humankind."


	15. Chapter 14: Tracking

Chapter 14

The three of us immediately started to morph. I focused on the musk-ox, it's DNA floating around inside me. I felt the changes begin as I pictured the powerful animal in my head. Although I had several other animals to choose from - wolf and wolverine in particular, I settled on the ox. It would be a risk, I was well aware of that. It was a large and bulky animal, which wouldn't be useful for the narrow corridors below deck. But I thought we'd need some firepower - and apart from maybe a rhino, there's nothing like an ox to tear through a couple of doors. And I felt that it was long overdue for one of my risks to pay off.

"That really is disturbing," said Ferdie. He was going lynx.

"What?" I asked.

"Your horns," he said. My horns were the first parts to appear. They shot out of my forehead, sharp and curved like the Andalite's tail blade. My skull split open, unable to support the horns in human shape. My eyes became blurry and were forced apart, sliding round my head and giving me an increased line of vision. My nose became wet and huge, darkening and moistening. I could soon pick up a huge array of smells aboard the ship - scents from Maggie and Ferdie, scents from the Controllers, other animals far beneath us in the water, or birds in the sky, and the smell of the salt from the sea. My ears grow outwards and upwards, increasing my sense of hearing. Fur sprouted from my body. It grew thick and matted, covering my entire body, almost touching the ground. The muscles of the ox started layering themselves on top of my own - pounds and pounds of pure strength. My shoulders bulked upwards, forcing me into a hunch. My arms and legs thickened, the joints changing direction. I looked down at my hands and feet. Fingers and toes were fusing together, melting into each other like hot wax, only to replaced by a hard, nail-like keratin substance that formed into the ox's hooves. Finally, I felt the animal's mind surface beneath my own - another feature of morphing. You don't just take on the animal's form, you get its mind and instincts as well. Sometimes, they can be useful. Sometimes, they can become overpowering. I concentrated on keeping the ox's mind at bay - enough to prevent it's skittish nature ruling my actions, but not so much as to loose interpretation of the different sounds and smells around me. To my left, Ferdie and Maggie were completing the last of their changes. Ferdie was almost lynx. He growled as he tested out his new claws. Maggie was fully wolf - her black fur barely visible in the moonlight.

--Right,-- I said, squeezing out from the now even more cramped space behind the lifeboats. --Maggie, you keep watch for any Controllers. Your senses are the most acute. Ferdie, you get behind me, back up Maggie, and be ready to attack. I'll be ready to take down anything that gets in my way. But saying that, try not to draw attention to yourselves until we have to.--

--Which way are we going in?-- said Maggie.

--Same way as before. They'll probably have moved her, but we'll just have to do our best.--

--They might not have caught her,-- said Ferdie. --She could have stayed as wasp and remained unseen.--

--Can't imagine Sam wanting to become trapped as wasp, though,-- said Maggie.

--Like anyone would?-- I snapped.

--I can,-- said Ferdie. --She'd be the first to sacrifice her human body to save others.--

We crept down into the heart of the ship, remaining unseen. For the first few minutes, at least. We'd barely gone down the second stairwell when Ferdie, with his super-sharp cat hearing, heard the sound of humans behind us.

--Guys - Controllers!-- he hissed.

--Try and get out of sight!-- I said. --I know there's not exactly anywhere to go, but try and remain unseen just a little longer!--

Ferdie pounced in front of me, jumping up to the ceiling, hidden up among and supported by the pipework. I couldn't jump, obviously. I lowered my horns and ploughed into a doorway. Unluckily, it was made of metal, and I felt the shockwaves reverberate through my body. Luckily, it was ajar, and I ended up falling straight through into the room behind it.

"Fugitives!"

So much for remaining out of sight. I was in a large room - nothing compared to the huge warehouse in which we'd left Sam - but large enough to hold several Controllers and half a dozen computer terminals quite comfortably. Five of them were staring at me, their eyes wide. One - the guys who'd shouted - looked at me with a manic expression. He immediately put his hand to his belt, ready to pull out a holster. I snorted and waved my head, almost impaling a terrified looking seaman. Another Controller grabbed him and held the guy back.

"No - don't shoot it!" he barked. "You heard the Sub-Visser - he wants them alive!"

He shoved past the Controller and made his way to the drawer of a desk.

"Of course," he said, "you don't need to kill them to render them immovable."

--I'd stop telling me your plans, then, Yeerk,-- I said, awkwardly moving my huge bulk between him and the desk. --Ferdie? Maggie?-- I called in private thought-speak.

--Philip!-- said Maggie.

--I need you to guard the corridor, Mags!-- I said. --What's Ferdie doing?--

--He's making his way further along the hall - no one's seen him yet, but I think some of your guys have seen me!--

--Well, I'm going to take them out - you be my back-up.--

I turned my attention back into the Controllers in front of me.

--Time to rock and roll,-- I said to myself, reliving the thrill of battle.


	16. Chapter 15: The Thrill of Battle

Chapter 15

I hurtled into the desk, demolishing it completely and trapping the drawer of the desk underneath the surface. In it was probably some kind of stun gun, or lower level Dracon, and there was no way I was going to let the Controllers get their hands on it.

The first guy decided maybe he'd better snap out his own Dracon, after all.

"Arrgh!" he yelled, as I stampeded towards him. I felt barely felt his body collapse as it was crushed between by fatal horns and the wall.

_Omph! _I swung my head, impaling another Controller. He slumped to the floor, unconscious. Normally, I try to avoid taking casualties if it's at all possible - but this was a friend on the line, and I couldn't sacrifice anything for her right now. I ploughed into a third Controller, watching as he slid across the floor. A forth, Dracon beam in hand, moving to my right. I hunched up my shoulders and ran towards him, head on. He was too scared to even pull the triggered. I tried to run out of the way at the last second, to escape to the door, but I couldn't let him. I swung my massive head, knocking him to the floor with my horns. He twitched and fell still, blood trickling from his ear. I'd killed him - there was no doubt about that - but at least it has been swift. A sound - to my left! I snorted. There were two left. One has escaped out of the corridor. The other - the frightened seaman, barely out of his teens, crouched huddled in the corner. I looked at him with my beady ox eye. He whimpered.

--Leave him, Philip!-- shouted Maggie. I focused my attention to her, realising how she'd just killed the Controller escaping into the hallway. Blood dripped from her black snout, her yellow eyes narrowed into what seemed a very human gesture.

I heaved myself back into the corridor.

--Left nothing get in your way,-- I repeated. --Where's Ferdie?--

--I told you - he went further up the hall towards the warehouse.--

--We'd better go follow him.--

We heard Ferdie before we saw him. Actually, we heard the voices of more Controllers before we heard Ferdie. Obviously, on a ship, the news of the slaughter of half a dozen Controllers did not take long to filter down the line. The hallways were soon full of Yeerks - some holding Dracons, some holding regular guns, all yelling and shouting. I lowered my head, clearing the way of them. Maggie howled, snapping her jaws at anyone who dared to come near. I heard a cry - a Controller hobbled away, blood streaming down his leg.

--Philip!-- I heard Ferdie's thought speak. --I can smell something - I think it's another cat!--

--Sam!-- I shouted. --Her leopard! She must have morphed! Can you follow the scent, Flawless?--

--Can do!-- he called back. We made our way, snorted and yapping at the Controllers, further down the corridor, seeing Ferdie pounce down from the pipework and landing gracefully in front of us.

--I think she's got up on deck!-- he shouted.

We raced down the corridor, paws flying, my hooves skidding on the metal floor. We turned up a stairwell - Controllers following us, some shooting at us with low power Dracons, some keeping well back. Ferdie and Maggie dodged the beams easily. I felt a severe burning in across my back, and the smell of smouldering fur. I grunted, ignoring the pain. It takes more than a few shots to take down oxen.

--Out here!-- called Ferdie, bounding towards a door leading to the deck.

--Move out of the way!-- I yelled.

I took a step backwards, arching my horns forward. I powered my body and rammed my head straight into the door. The door detached from the hinges and skidded across the deck.

--You could have used the handle!-- shouted Maggie, as we dashed through.

--No time,-- I replied, as Ferdie put his nose in the air, searching for the scent of Sam's leopard. He picked it up, running on ahead. I galloped after him, Maggie bounding along beside me, keeping pace effortlessly.

And then we came to a halt. We had come to a clearing. I peered into the space, straining my weak eyes in the dim light. There, in front of us, stood Sam in leopard morph, growling at a dozen Controllers pointing Dracons at her, and Visser Five.


	17. Chapter 16: Operation Sweep and Clear

Chapter 16

_The small village emerged into view below us. A few dozen houses arranged in a circle around a central clearing. Another couple of blocks of housing to the east. A temple, or some kind of religious building to the north. A school to the east. Several light-duty roads led to and from the village. One led north, in a perfectly straight line towards the horizon, along which I could make out the sky-scrapers and buildings of a city. I could just make out some of our vehicles driving down that road towards the village. Nelson Platoon - bringing in the tanks._

_Many of the buildings in the village - the ones that still stood, of course, were smoking, the result of the enemy's actions. A fire was still blazing away in a house slightly to the west. The villagers had all been evacuated, obviously. At least, we hoped they'd had advance warning to be evacuated. Hopefully they hadn't been flushed out by the enemy. There was no a soul in sight. But the place was by no means deserted. Beneath the smouldering ruins of the buildings lay a troop of the enemy, laying in wait for us. I pointed out their armoured vehicles to some of my soldiers, still and silent, but loaded and ready to go._

_I took a deep breath, running the plan through my mind one more time. The enemy had taken the village, in the last of their steps to access the city, where hard-core action would begin. They were laying in wait, now, waiting for their signal that the rest of their company was in position to attack the city. Our job, as commanders of a troop of armoured vehicles, was to flush out the enemy, and if possible, take control of their equipment. A sweep and clear, as it was known. Take prisoners if at all possible. Get any surviving villagers out. Basically just jump in a tank and bomb whatever's left._

* * *

"_It looks like a dead zone, sir," muttered Private Edmunds to my left. He stretched across me, trying to get a better view. Edmunds was one of the youngest squaddies in my platoon. Seventeen years old and literally just out of basic training. God knows how he managed to get on such a dangerous mission so early on. I dreaded to think what his parents were going through right now._

_Edmunds was pulled back in line by another young man, Private Webber. _

"_Carl," he said to his friend, "you daft pillock. You wanna fell outta this thing, or what?"_

"_Just tryna get a better view, mate," Edmunds replied. "Ain't never been in a chopper this big before."_

"_Yeah, well this ain't some luxury cruise, mate," said Webber. "We're gonna be down there in a minute, so I 'ope you're good and ready to get your backside in gear and do some work."_

"_Yeah, bothered," muttered Edmunds. _

_Such was the attitude of my platoon. We were on our way into a serious situation - possibly one of the biggest missions some of these guys had been on - and there was a very real probability of us getting killed. And all my men could think about was the view and the excitement of being in a Chinook. I guess some people just have a natural ability to ignore the idea death, even when he's waving his scythe in front of their faces. Or perhaps this was their way of accepting it. When you're young, you tend to think you will live forever. That nothing will ever happen to you. As soon as you start getting old, or if a close friend of family member has a serious accident, you realise that this is never quite true. Something could happen to you at anytime. And right now, I realised that this was never more true than if you were in the army, where one could be surrounded by death for days one end. Perhaps being blasé about the whole concept is just another way of accepting it._

* * *

_The Chinook began to descend, ready to land in the middle of the clearing. The second chopper, carrying the captain and the larger sections of Nelson Platoon came to rest about twenty meters to my left._

"_Right, guys, we're about to land," I barked. "Mills, Neale - you know what to do."_

"_Sir!" replied Mills. He was a wizened old sergeant, similar to many of the crusts I'd met at Sandhurst. Always in control, always with the situation in mind, and always respectful of his superiors - especially to me, despite the age gap of almost thirty years. Never one to mess around with._

_The Chinook came to rest on the desert sand below us. Before the big chopper had even touched down, Mills and Neale were already out, doubling around the chopper in opposite directions, a large circle. I jumped out behind them, landing awkwardly, my hair being blown about by the powerful force of the chopper's blades. I blinked in the bright sunlight. The heat was swelteringly hot, but there was no time to worry about that now. The soldiers jumped off the chopper, following the sergeants around the great machine, forming a large circle around it, laying on the ground, rifles at the ready, in an effective defence formation. It was the standard vehicle disembarking procedure. I took a few steps back, looking about the village to get my bearings, then ran over to where the captain of the company was supervising the bringing in of the tanks. _

"_Lawless!" shouted the captain above the roar of the helicopter. "Get your men in position! Your tanks are coming up - get everyone else into that three story building by the junction! You know the rest!"_

_I doubled back to my men, crouching down beside sergeant Neale, a sarcastic brute of a colour sergeant, who took me as child playing laser-quest. I mentioned to Mills and he leapt up immediately, bounding to a halt beside us._

"_Neale, Mills - we're flushing the buildings from south to north. Get the sections in gear - Three Section as drivers to the cars, everyone else into that building with the big windows," I ordered, pointing to the building the captain ha shown me. "Mills - I want One Section out first - checking the building next to base. Neales - Two Section to follow. Pepper-pot buildings until you meet up with Grey's platoon somewhere around the middle. Myself and Three Section will be taking the tanks - we'll be will be flushing the buildings in the rear blocks. I'll be in touch from there!"_

_There was a flurry of movement as the platoon got itself in order - myself and the smaller Three Section, everyone else towards the buildings on foot. I vaulted up into my armoured car - a huge, desert-camo'ed fighting machine, several tonnes of pure, unadulterated power - beside the young lance corporal who was driving it._

_And so we set into action. For forty five minutes, we rolled up and down the streets, bombing down buildings with almost careless indifference. The enemy attempted retreat, of course. They hadn't been expected an assault this significant. Any left in the buildings failed to get too far. I led my platoon through the wreckage, taking down any signs of enemy life. The second platoon - our back-up - formed up along the road to the south, ready to make their way back to base once the mission was complete. The sections on foot were doubling back to their original building, where they would take cover and complete a 'cas-am' - a casualty/ammunitions assessment._

_I fired a grenade into the last of the buildings, which was then checked by one of the lance-corporals. All clear. We reformed to the north, just outside the boundaries of the village. I jumped out of the tank, ready to rendezvous with the captain. I breathed a sigh of relief. We all thought that the operation was complete._


	18. Chapter 17: Treat Infamy

Chapter 17

We immediately backed into a corner, Ferdie's lynx crouched low between the tunnel of a ventilation shaft, Maggie's wolf invisible between two lifeboats.

--Oh, god,-- moaned Ferdie. He was rigid, staring unblinking at the sight before us.

I didn't know where to look first, or what to think. I was feeling so many emotions at once that my brain felt clouded and unable to function. On one hand, I felt relief that Sam was alive. But also guilt, for having got her trapped. Confusion - how did the Visser get here so quickly? Panic, for I had not clue as what to do next. Fascination, teamed with horror, for the presence of Visser Five was most certainly one of great significant among the Yeerks. And it was no doubt because he'd at last been presented with his morph-capable Fugitives.

--Don't anyone move,-- I warned the others. --We cannot let the Controllers know where we are.--

--Philip - they were chasing us through the corridors! Any second they'll be out that door and they'll see us! Who's to care whether they know we're up on deck?-- said Maggie.

--I think I killed most of the Controllers chasing us,-- I said bluntly. At least, I hoped I had. There was the sharp pain of the Dracon across my back. So far, I hadn't seen any of the Controllers who were chasing us appear out of the door out of which we'd escaped. That part was strange, and it made me even more scared than I already was.

--At least she's not hurt,-- said Ferdie, relieved for Sam. --At least she's wasn't killed, or infested.--

--I'm going to try calling to her - let her know we're here.-- I said, watching around for any sight of Controllers coming up behind us. But any Controllers I could see were stood transfixed at the sight of their Visser. I realised I was very obvious in ox morph. I moved further back into the shadows, glad for my dark grey fur, almost invisible in the night sky. I wanted to morph - partly to become something small, partly to ease the pain of the burn. But I couldn't risk not being able to privately thought-speak - or being trapped in a weak and infestable human body.

--Sam!-- I hissed. --It's us! We're on deck in battle morph, watching! I don't think we've been spotted yet.--

Wisely, Sam made no outwardly sign to show that she had heard anything. If she'd suddenly twitched, or looked around, the Yeerks might have suspected that she was contacting the rest of us. But she stood still, claws out, eyes fixed on the Visser.

--Guys - thank god!-- she called, still not looking at us. That's one advantage of thought-speak. You don't need to know where exactly a person is to be able to communicate with them - as long as you're nearby. And unlike normal speech, it can be directed privately to whoever you want. There's no need to yell out for all to here.

--Sam, what's going on?-- Ferdie asked. --How come you're in leopard morph? How did you get out of the warehouse?--

Again, she made no physical acknowledgment that Ferdie had said a word.

--Most of the Controllers left the warehouse when Lort-Strelitz noticed that you guys had flown out of the room as wasps. It was pretty chaotic - Controllers running everywhere. I managed to hide behind the piping to grab the chance to do an ultra-quick demorph and remorph to leopard. I didn't see any problem with doing that - they knew we were on board anyway, and I thought that, as long as I could morph without being caught in human form, I could provide them with a distraction. And possibly some claws. I was seen, of course, and chased up here.--

--That's great thinking, Sam, glad you're ok,-- I said. --Can you tell us what's the deal now, with the Visser? Last time we heard, he wasn't on board!--

Visser Five stood grinning at Sam, his eyes never leaving her. He had taken a Hork-Bajir body - a monstrous, dinosaur like creature with thick, snakelike hide and many curved blades across it's head, back and limbs. By the looks of things, the Visser had taken the largest, most scary looking Hork-Bajir he could find. He stood leaning casually against the side of his trade-mark silver helicopter he'd obviously flown in, flanked by another two enormous Hork-Bajir, which I took to be his personal bodyguards. I got the impression that although he liked to be seen carrying guns and getting himself right into the heat of a battle, Visser Five was actually a bit of a coward. I'd never seen him step into the bloodshed until he presumed we were at our weakest. He was quite happy to shoot a person in the back. And although he owned a huge, dangerous body, I couldn't imagine him ever using it to draw blood. He would shoot a Dracon from a distance, but would never dream of using his own blades, right up next to his victim, in such intimate battle. Of course I could be wrong.

--As soon as Lort-Strelitz realised we were on board, he immediately sent for Visser Five. God knows what kind of technology that chopper has to get him out here within such a short space of time.--

--Why's he got everyone here in a circle, watching him? Why doesn't he just kill you?--

Sam started to talk, but we heard the answer from the Visser himself anyway.

"Sub Visser Forty-Two. Intrid four-nine-zero," he said in his low Hork-Bajir growl, addressing Lort-Strelitz and the young officer-Controller from the communications office. "Fellow supporters of the Yeerk empire. I have bought you here today, because I would like for you all to witness a very significant event. And along with the finding of the Andalite artefact, this should make for a day of great prestige. No doubt myself, and many of you, of course will be able to look forward to a promotion of two in the weeks that follow."

Many of the Controllers, particularly the gullible, lower ranking Yeerks, looked around at each other excitedly. A quite murmur of chatter began to be heard, but the Visser raided his claw and the crowd fell silent.

"For today is the day that not only have we discovered one of the most advanced Andalite pieces of technology - one, my loyal lieutenants, that will allow us open warfare in partnership with the great Visser three - but we have also stumbled across something just as pleasing!"

The Visser strode arrogantly up to Samantha, his hand on his Dracon beam. Sam tensed, uttering a low growl.

"May I introduce you all to our new friend? One of our long-lost morph capable Fugitives, proudly demonstrating one of the fantastic morphs it possesses! This Fugitive will lead us to the rest of the Fugitives, and possibly even to the Andalite Bandits themselves!"

Ferdie tensed, his lynx body empathetically resonating Sam's low grown.

--Calm down, Flawless,-- I said. --This is just another of the Visser's pep talks. He doesn't have a plan. He's just trying to provoke us - he knows we're here and he wants us to expose ourselves by attacking.

--Philip, you and I both know there's going to be some bloodshed,-- said Maggie. --Don't you think we should move in now before they try and restrain her or something? He might want to take her away to interrogate her!--

--He won't interrogate her - he'll just infest her,-- I said.

--Not while she's in leopard morph, they can't. She needs to be in human morph.--Sam seemed to be listening to all this, because she said,

--Philip - keep everyone hidden. I don't want you three getting caught as well. If they try to capture me, I'll fight back. They can't have Dracons firing everywhere - there's too many people them about. That's why they haven't shot at me yet. If the worst comes to the worst, I guess I'll just jump overboard.--


	19. Chapter 18: OneZeroOne

Chapter 18

--I mean it,-- said Sam. --If I don't make it, you get yourselves out. Go shark - get in the ocean. Get way from here. We can't warn the other morphers if we're all dead.--

--Sam - you can't!-- cried Ferdie. --We'll find a way - don't you worry, I'll- --

But Ferdie was cut off by a new event. The Controllers - including Visser Five - all seemed to be looking up into the sky for some reason. I followed their line of sight, scanning the sky for whatever they were looking at. Maggie saw it first.

--What is it?-- she asked, assuming I'd seen it too.

--What's what? I don't see anything. What's everyone looking at?--

--Must be important to direct everyone's attention away from Visser Five,-- commented Ferdie.

Finally, I saw what they were looking at. A bright light in the air, a mile or so to the east. It looked like some kind of helicopter or small aeroplane, flying out to sea from the coast of Wales, but even to my weaker ox eyes, I could see it was like no helicopter or plane that humans had ever built. For a start, it moved far too quickly. I could see the outline of the craft appearing within seconds on spotting it. As it came nearer, it descended through the sky.

--I think it's intending to land on the ship,-- said Ferdie. --Wonder who it is?--

--God, I hope it's not Visser Three!-- cried Maggie.

--Well Visser Three has an Andalite body,-- said Sam nervously from across the deck, --so I'll guess we'll find out in a second.--

The craft lowered towards us, and set down on the ship. I strained my neck out of my hidey-hole, partly to take in more of this strange sight, partly to see how the Controllers were taking this interruption.

--The Visser doesn't look too happy,-- Sam commented. --He's either really confused, really scared, or really P-O'ed that someone is stealing his show.--

It was dark, yet as the craft came closer and prepared to land, I found I could still see it very clearly. It was almost as if it was creating a light source of it's own - a kind of wicked looking yellowy-orange glow. It was a small craft, no bigger than a bus. A dull grey in colour - nothing like the Visser's chrome reflective chopper. It was roundish at the front, becoming sharper towards the rear, and possessing a number of odd looking, spidery legs. Six of them, with multiple joints, which extended towards the ground as the craft came in to land. There were what looked like Dracon beams affixed to the side, top, and underneath. A stubby pair of wings protruded from it's side. The whole thing resembled some kind of giant fighting insect.

--Weird looking thing,-- said Ferdie. --Keep out if the way, it might carry malaria.--

--Shut up, Ferdie,-- I muttered. Then, to myself as much as the rest of us:

--Someone's getting out!--

The Visser, by this time, was looking more worried that annoyed. No doubt he knew what was inside that craft, and he didn't like the thought of it.

--I don't think it will be Visser Three - Visser Five wouldn't be scared of him, would he? Not if he's invited him to view the artefact?-- asked Maggie.

--Or us,-- Ferdie mused.

--Who knows what Visser Three is like?-- said Sam. --Anyway, I think it's a human getting out, not an Andalite body.--

With her leopard eyes, and proximity to the craft, Sam had seen what I was still straining to see. But eventually, I had no doubt that the doors, or airlocks or whatever it was this craft uses, was starting to open. Two figures jumped from the craft - humans. They stood to one side like bodyguards, rifles slung across their chests casually, as though they didn't really need them, and Dracon beams at the hip. They saluted and allowed a third human to disembark. A woman emerged. Tall, around thirty years old, attractive in a business-like sense, and dressed in a tight black one-piece cat suit. She wore heavy black military boots, and a bandoleer holding a Dracon beam and other pieces of strange looking equipment. She ran her gloved hand through her masculine short blonde hair and strode gracefully over to Visser Five. She moved with the same cocky but elegant walk of a high-flying business woman. She could not have looked more confident nor assertive if she were wearing a designer power suit and striding down the Houses of Parliament.

--That's what Visser Five was scared of?-- sniffed Maggie. --She looks like a cross between a James Bond villain and an extra for some dodgy late night Channel Five programme!--

With my sharp ox hearing, I could make out a murmur of conversation from some of the watching Controllers. One medium ranking Controller turned to his partner. I couldn't see him clearly, but his words were clear.

"The Assassin," he whispered.

His partner seemed to agree. "I didn't know she really existed," he said. "I thought she was a legend. But she's the Assassin, alright. There's no mistaking that."


	20. Chapter 19: The Visser's Advocate

Chapter 19

_Assassin?_

I addressed Maggie. --You were with the Yeerks for a while, weren't you? Did you ever hear of the 'Assassin'? Is she a Controller, or a Visser, or something?--

--I can't say that I know,-- she answered. --I never heard of her before now.--

The woman, the Assassin, stopped in front of Visser Five. Taking no notice of any difference in rank, she addressed him directly, her chin high, her hands on her hips.

"Ah, Visser," she said, looking the Hork-Bajir bodied General in the eye. She had a rich, musical voice, with a strong Eastern European or possibly Russian accent.

"_Sub _Visser One-oh-one," replied Visser Five, emphasising her lower rank.

The woman took no notice.

"I see you have bought me a pet?" she said, glancing disinterestedly at Sam. "How pleased the Council will be." She glanced at the Visser knowingly.

"The Council shall see that _I _hand over the Fugitives, and, in good time, the Andalite Bandits."

"Yes, yes, of course," said the woman. "I do not care for taking this career chance away from you, Visser. The Fugitives are not my concern."

"Then what is it you want?" asked the Visser. "Surely you didn't fly all this way to make pleasantries? And last time we met, I recall your loyalties were no longer…" He paused, trailing off at the smirk on the woman's face.

"I work for Visser One, now," she said softly.

"Visser One. So you got that far then? And what is it she has ordered you to do?"

The woman scoffed, and raised her eyebrows. "Do I look like one to take orders?" she demanded. "No one tells me what to do! Not even you Vissers."

If Visser Five was insulted by this woman's blatant lack of respect for her superiors, he sure didn't show it. It was clear that, despite the fact that this Assassin was out-ranked by nearly a dozen other onboard Controllers, it was Sub Visser 101 who was calling the shots tonight.

"Then what is it you do, Sub Visser?" asked Visser Five.

"You should know me better than that, Visser Five," said the woman. "I have done you many favours, you should know by now the way I work."

"You want something from me?"

"Visser One wants something from you. Me? I do not want anything. That is my greatest quality. With nothing to want, I have no weaknesses. I have nothing to loose."

Visser Five did not seemed swayed by this woman. "What is it your Visser wants?" he asked. "Why does she not contact me directly, or run this through the Council? We are both Vissers, after all."

--Do you know,-- said Ferdie conversationally, --that my instincts are telling me we should get the heck out of here?--

--That's exactly what I've been thinking for the past eight hours,-- said Sam. --I still think you three should get out whilst you can.--

--We're not going anywhere without you,-- said Ferdie.

--Well, if I can't persuade you to get out now, then I urge you to hold back a little longer. I want to know where this little Yeerk politics thing is going. Situation could change at anytime. You guys are still in battle morphs, right?--

--Yeah, but I don't know how long we can remain out of sight for,-- I said. --It's weird that we haven't been spotted yet. I know everyone's watching the Visser, but I can't believe luck should be on our side for this long.--

--Guys - that woman's speaking again,-- hissed Maggie.

"Visser One does not want this mission to reach the ears of the Council," said the woman. "Nor, I would guess, the deck of this ship."

"And you expect me to abide by that fool's wishes?" scoffed the Visser.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Evidently, or you would not have called Visser One by the name you have just uttered."

The Visser exhaled sharply.

"What is it that Visser One does not want mentioned to the Council of Thirteen?" asked Visser Five. He shot a look at Sam - he obviously suspected it had something to do with us Fugitives, or the Andalite Bandits, whoever they were.

"No, no, it does not involve the Fugitives," she said, as if reading his mind. "Let Visser Three care for them. They are not of interest right now to Visser One."

--I wish they'd hurry up and get to the point,-- said Ferdie. --How long have we got left in morph?--

--About forty minutes,-- said Maggie, reading the numbers off a Controller's watch. ---I'm thinking we should demorph and remorph in case we need to fight - give us more time.--

--Sure,-- agreed Sam. --You three do that.-- She didn't mention the fact that she could not morph in front of the Controllers.

Ferdie, Maggie and I began the transformation back to human as quickly as possible, remorphing as soon as we were fully human. The burning pain in my back faded as the wound healed itself.

"So what does it concern?" asked the Visser, narrowing his lizard-like eyes at her.

"Your recently retrieved Andalite technology," said the woman. "With which, I believe, you intend to engage in all-out war with this planet?"

"An open attack on this planet is inevitable," growled the Visser. "It should have taken place long ago, and would have, if it were not for your Visser's foolish insistence on this quiet invasion."

"An open attack is out of the question," the woman said bluntly.

"The Council will deny that speculation once we present this technology."

"The Council will never be presented with this technology."

At this statement, the Visser laughed. A low, booming growl, accompanied by violent shakes of his bladed body. He stared at the woman.

"And I suppose you, _Sub _Visser, will be able to ensure that?"

The woman stared him back in the eye. "I shall ensure that. What I want, Visser Five," she declared, "is that this technology is destroyed."


	21. Chapter 20: His Desision

Chapter 20

Again, an arrogant chuckle from the Visser. "Do beg my pardon," he said sarcastically. "Did my ears deceive me? Did you just say I should _destroy _this technology?"

"That is correct," said the woman, far from loosing her ground.

"And why, I ask, might I do that?"

"Because otherwise I shall press a small, red button, on an instrument located about my person. The pressing of this button will result in the detonation of a primitive, but no doubt effective human explosive device, situated within the lower decks of this ship."

The Visser stared, unmoving at her, for a second or two, letting this new information sink in. The woman's requests were clear. Visser One greatly opposed an open infestation of Earth. Visser Five, working for Visser Three, had come across a weapon that, if activated, would dismiss any reservations about us human's power to resist. If Visser One was to remain in office, she could not let this weapon come into the knowledge of the Council.

"You're bluffing," he said, although I could make out a note of doubt in his voice.

The woman smiled slyly. "Have you ever known me to bluff?" she asked. She addressed the rest of the crew. "Has anyone on board this ship heard of the legendary Assassin to _bluff_?"

She laughed crudely, as if the very suggestion was an insult.

I could tell from the expressions of the crew that the Assassin had not earned her reputation by bluffing. And I could tell Visser Five knew that too. They had met in the past - as much was clear from their earlier conversations - and Visser Five had been wary of her then.

I glanced round at the others. We were all, by new, in battle morph again - Ferdie and Maggie still as lynx and wolf, although this time I had gone wolverine. Smaller, easier to hide in, better senses.

--I don't think she's bluffing,-- said Ferdie, obviously thinking the same thoughts as I was. --The Visser knows that too. Why else would she be known as the Assassin?--

--Who has she assassinated?-- asked Maggie.

--Who knows?-- I replied. --Past Vissers, maybe? Powerful Yeerks who get in the way of her employer's plans? Council members who refuse to pass a bill? Yeerks rebelling against the system? Probably the same reasons why human leaders are assassinated.--

--If there's one empire where I can imagine assassination takes place, the Yeerk empire would be first on my list,-- said Maggie.

Lort-Strelitz stepped forward. He glanced at the Assassin, but addressed the Visser.

"Visser Five, it is impossible for this Sub Visser to have planted any explosive device aboard my ship whilst I have been aboard."

The Assassin smiled at him. "The weapon has been here all along," she grinned. "This is the genius of my plan. By utilising the fact that you only recently took command of a human ship and it's crew - a military ship, that was still in service - I could hack into the human database and retrieve information about this vessel. I discovered an explosive device on board, and it's power. With a little more digging, I was able to gain control of the system that would set off the device, and direct the trigger to a device which I have, on me, right now."

The Visser seemed to snap at this information. "I could kill you right now!" he bellowed. "I command an army of thousands! Dozens of whom are with me right now - and there are more soldiers at my disposal! I could have my officers shoot you on command! I could have you tortured and hurled up in front of the Council of Thirteen! I could have you delivered directly to Visser Three himself! I'm sure he'd love to meet to discuss your little business plan."

But the Assassin never lost her cool. "And of course, you are free to do so, Visser. And of course, I could destroy this ship, right here, right now, with everyone on board."

"You'd be killed, too!" cried the Visser.

"I have long regarded the human concept of kamikaze as a fine and noble action. Unlike you, Visser, who regards death with such fear that even the lower ranks cast pity upon you."

"How dare you insult my credibility!" yelled the Visser, taking out his Dracon and pointing it directly at the Assassin's chest.

Again, the woman did not take even a single step back. "And yet I cannot see you sacrificing your entire crew, nor yourself, in an attempt to kill me." She held out a dainty wrist, strapped around which was a bulky watch-like device. She placed a finger on a button and strode up to the Visser, holding the device up in front of her face.

"Small…red…button," she whispered. "I can press this before any of your shots could kill me. Do you still think I'm bluffing? Can you even afford to take that chance?"

The Visser glared at her again, but, after what seemed like an eternity, slowly lowered the Dracon beam.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" he croaked, seemingly defeated.

"Yes, you have a choice," declared the Assassin. "Either hand over the technology, or I shall do it for you, taking your ship, your crew, and your little human Fugitives with me."


	22. Chapter 21: An Unplanned PRESAR

Chapter 21

"_Sir!" I turned and found myself face-to-face with Darson, a young lance corporal of Three Section. "We may need to assess the enemy situation!"_

"_What?" _

"_I have a visual. A troop of enemy vehicles, moving in from the south!"_

_I spun round in the direction Darson was pointing. And to my horror, I could just make out a line of armoured tanks, heading towards us in the distance, bringing up clouds of dust around them. A line of tanks our company had failed to see, or predict._

_I snapped into action. "Sir!" I tried to catch the captain's attention. _

_The captain turned, annoyed to be disturbed as he debriefed his officers._

"_What is it, Lawless? Daddy not here to see you command your first proper mission?" He stopped when he saw my expression._

"_Sir - enemy - south - tanks!" I spluttered._

_Luckily the captain got the gist of what I was trying to tell him. He shoved me to one side and gazed out towards the approaching enemy, who had seemed to make a lot of distance since Mills had first spied them._

"_Right - we're getting out of here!" yelled the captain to Grey and I. He took out his radio and barked into it, commanding the Chinooks back ASAP._

"_We're getting out?" I asked, several minutes later, as the Chinooks arrived and the soldiers of Grey's platoon piled into one._

"_What else to you suggest we do!" the captain replied haughtily. _

"_Take them!"_

"_What?"_

"_There's fewer of them than there are of us! We can blow them out of here!"_

"_Lawless - get in the chopper! I'm not having my men putting their backsides on the line unless another assault is absolutely necessary!" He leapt into the chopper with Grey and it took us, leaving me to get my soldiers in the second one. _

_But my men were still back at the clearing. They were on foot, and it was at least ten minute's running back to where the chopper waited. And the enemy was coming ever closer. I had to chose. Save my men and take out the enemy, or retreat with the rest of the company whilst we had the chance. _

"_Sir?" Corporal Jones, behind me. He was in the process of ordering the soldiers back into the choppers, but had become hesitant._

_I turned to face him. "Get them men back in the tanks!" I yelled._

"_Are you kidding?" yelled another corporal, having heard my suggestion to the captain. "No bleeding way are we going back out there! We'll be ripped apart!"_

_I ignored their objections and jumped back into the now empty tank, grabbing the controls, which were much like those of an automatic car. _

"_Get the men back in!" I repeated. "Do as I say! One and Two Section are still back there."_

"_But, sir - they'll be here and safe by the time the enemy get anywhere near us!"_

"_I know that. We can take out the enemy."_

_The soldiers looked at me, a shocked expression on their faces. _

"_Sir, please excuse me," cried a young private, "but there's not way we can take down the enemy! We have no battle orders, no timings, no tasks in mind!"_

_He was making perfect sense, of course. He would make a great RSM one day. No way I could do what I was planning. But I knew this would be my only chance to take down the enemy. This was obviously a big portion of their back-up who had sent to assault us. It would be a huge blow to them if we could destroy them. We could take them on. We could beat them. We had to! And I was in charge. If this all went as I planned, I could have prevented another stage of the enemy's operations from taking place. I could put their plans back by days! And perhaps, I could even be fast-forwarded for promotion._

_I commanded the troops back into the tanks. I led the way southwards, ignoring the voice of my captain coming from my radio. We got into position. We took aim. We fired._

_And then I realised, with a sickening dread, that I had just made the biggest mistake of my career._


	23. Chapter 22: Rage Against the Enemy

Chapter 22

--Knew we'd get dragged into this somewhere,-- said Ferdie.

--Not exactly a fair bargain, is it?-- Maggie speculated. --It's not like Visser Five will get anything in return for given her the equipment, except saving his own butt.--

--Since when where the Yeerks fair?-- I asked. --Dirty politics, blackmailing - if that sort of thing can go on in Washington, here on Earth, no doubt the Yeerks could do it better.--

--He's not actually given in, has he?-- Maggie asked. --He's a Yeerk Visser - when have Vissers ever taken it lying down?--

--Visser Five's a coward,-- I said. --He'd do anything to save his own backside. I guess he cares about that more than some promotion.--

Visser Five was standing just a foot away from the Assassin, breathing deeply, never taking his eyes off the small red button.

"Alright," he said. "I'll destroy that technology. Just…don't destroy this ship, or that animal."

"Fair enough," said the Assassin. "You bring that technology up here to the surface, and destroy it using your Dracons. I'll know if it's adequately destroyed or not. When I am satisfied, I shall leave, you should never have to meet me again." She lowered her hands.

The Visser nodded sombrely. He turned round slowly, facing his crew. I saw him meet the eye contact of one of his bodyguards.

--Something's wrong,-- I heard Sam say.

--How do you mean?-- Maggie asked.

--He's not going to go along with the Assassin's requests. I can tell. He's gearing up to do something.-- There was a note of urgency in her voice now. --Philip - get everyone in a position ready to fight! I have a feeling this is going to heat up!--

The three of us slunk out of our hiding spots, padding silently in the dark across the deck. I motioned to the other two where to hide. My eyes swept across the vast number of Controllers. Many were armed with either Dracon beams or regular guns, but some were not. But any firing would be strictly limited, I could see that. There were far too few of them, and too few of us, to get an accurate shot. My heart was thumping in my chest, but the wolverine's mind inside me help me to keep my cool. It knew what lay ahead. It was fully prepared. It knew what it could deal with. As I took up my position, crouching low, I could make out a small smile spread over the Visser's face. Sam was right. He wasn't going to give in.

* * *

It all seemed to happen at once. One second, stillness. The next, chaos.

"The other Fugitives!" yelled a Controller in the crowd. We had been spotted. Simultaneously, the Visser yelled his orders. Lort-Strelitz fired at me, missing completely and leaving a blackened burn mark beside me on the wooden deck. The Visser's bodyguards fired at the Assassin. One missed, but the other met it's mark. The Assassin fell to the floor, crying out in agony. She had not been killed, but the Dracon beam had done some serious damage. Some very specific damage. Part of the Assassin's left arm lay severed from her body, a couple of feet from her shoulder. Around the wrist, intact, was the detonator.

The Visser noticed at once. He bounded across the deck, ready to grab the detonator, to keep the assassin from getting it again. But Sam was there before him. She leapt up, her leopard body flying gracefully though the air in a flawless golden brown arc. She landed silently and grabbed the arm between her teeth. The Visser yelled out in frustration and turned back to his guards.

"Shoot it, damn fools! I don't care if you kill it!" he yelled. "That's the Fugitive! That's the Fugitive and it's got the damn detonator!" He was leaping up and down like a crazed manic, the sound of the thumping from his huge Hork-Bajir feet echoed about the ship.

Sam spun round and leapt into the crowd, where the crew where reluctant to shoot for fear of hitting each other. Some made a half-hearted attempt to block her way, but she knocked them out of the way as if they were pins in a bowling alley.

--Some help would be useful!-- she cried.

Ferdie was the first to get involved. He leapt into the crowd, clearing a way for Sam. He pounced at the crew members, forcing them back, forcing the unarmed to take cover below deck. I followed suite, unsure of what we were meant to be doing, but feeling so much pent-up adrenaline that I couldn't keep still any longer. I went for the Visser. If he was the coward I was sure he was, he wouldn't get very far with me. Plus, if I was near to him, other Controllers would refrain from shooting at him in case they hit their Visser. I lunged for the Visser, claws outstretched, mouth open and ready to clamp down. He tried to shoot me, but his aim was poor, and he ended up hitting of few of his unfortunate underlings instead. I grabbed his arm between my teeth, my jaw clamped down like a vice. His skin was thick and leathery, but wolverine, despite their small size, have powerful jaws. He dropped the Dracon beam, but I was then forced to let go, for he attempted to slash me with his numerous blades.

Maggie was next - going straight for the bodyguards. Growling, baring her teeth, yapping, biting, scratching, relentless, - her black wolf body almost invisible in the darkness.

All around me, the battle raged on. Teeth biting, claws slashing, Dracons firing, guns blasting. The wolverine was fearless. Maggie's wolf was tireless. Sam and Ferdie's cats were gracefully taking down anyone and anything that came in their way. The crew were in shambles. Those who were unarmed were running all over the place, panicking like children. The armed crew were shooting at anything and everything - generally at their own. The Assassin was on her feet - despite her injuries - Dracon in hand, shooting aimlessly towards Sam, her cat suit drenched in her own blood. Lort-Strelitz was swearing and cursing like a madman - betrayed by his Visser who had bought about the destruction of his ship, his crew, and of course, his finding of the artefact.

"You idiot!" she raged, addressing the Visser. "You fool! I'll get you for this! I'll blow your whole damn ship to hell! I don't care if I live or if I die! I'll make sure you burn for this!"

"You ever thought you could take me on?" cried the Visser in response. "How dare you even think you can take on a Visser!" He was leaping away from me now, making his way to the safety of his silver chopper. Quitting the battle while he could, like the coward he was.


	24. Chapter 23: Mission Complete

Chapter 23

--Guys - sharks - now!-- cried Sam. --Get out of here! The Visser's leaving - he's not sticking around to get killed! The Assassin's going to die anyway! And we don't want to hang around for Lort-Strelitz to pick us up and present us to Visser Three instead!--

--What about the detonator?-- I asked, demorphing as I ran. She was still carrying it - or rather, the arm on which it was still strapped - in her mouth. She paused, stared at me for a second, and turned around.

--Where are you going?-- Ferdie yelled, half-way to human.

--I'm giving the Yeerks that blow we talked about earlier!-- she cried. --Get off deck - get in the water - now!-- She ran back towards the scene of the battle, and I realised what she was going to do.

"Ferdie, Maggie, get in the water!" I yelled, almost back to human. I stumbled, my joints switching direction from wolverine to primate. My claws retracted into my hands, being replaced by useless human fingernails. My hearing dulled, but even to my human ears, the battle still raged on.

Maggie and Ferdie caught up with me, the three of us now fully demorphed.

"Water, now! Sharks!" I cried. I climbed up over the railings. Leant over the water. I leapt into the blackness, immediately starting to concentrate on my shark morph. I hit the water with a splash, the noise of which was lost in the moment of battle, diving deep under the water, my body registering the ice-cold bite of the Atlantic. I surfaced, finding Maggie and Ferdie with me as well. Maggie was gasping for breath, her lips blue, her face white and pale. Ferdie's eyes were wide.

"Get away from the ship!" I ordered. "Morph shark!"

"Where's Sam?" cried Ferdie.

"She's coming!" I replied, spluttering. I powered my body away from the boat, half dragging a gasping Maggie with me. I could feel the changes begin already, although it was the last thing I noticed. My skin was turning rough and thick, the ice-cold sting of the water already loosing it's bite. My arms being sucked into my sides, my legs and feet fusing together to form the powerful tail of the Blue shark. I sunk under the water, unable to tread water any longer. I resisted the urge to inhale, but the urge was too strong and I breathed in deeply. Oxygen flowed through my veins - I'd formed gills. This was the first time any of us had morphed shark, and we had no idea what it would be like. Unfortunately, we hadn't had the luxury of practise, and we couldn't risk going airborne as geese. This was our only chance for escape.

--I hope you're out the way of the ship!-- I head Sam yell, from some distance away.

--I'm in the water, going shark and swimming my backside off to get as far away from this ship as I can, so I hope you're doing the same!--

--What have you done?-- cried Ferdie, who was well on his way to shark, and had crossed the line to thought-speak.

--She gave the detonator back to the Assassin,-- I explained. --She's going to let her destroy the ship, the artefact, and anyone left on it.--

--What about the Visser?--

--The coward escaped. He and his bodyguards turned his back on the battle - they got in his helicopter. He got away. We have to do the same.--

Suddenly, the shark's brain surfaced below my own, and I felt the irresistible need to swim. Without even thinking about it, I dived deep into the depths of the ocean, powering myself away from the ship.

A minute later, I was aware of a huge explosion. The HMS Hertford was destroyed. The Assassin had carried out her duties. She had destroyed the artefact, along with Lort-Strelitz, countless lower ranking Controllers, and herself. And the Fugitives were fugitives again.


	25. Chapter 24: The Aftermath

Chapter 24

_I indicated right, moved out from the slip-road and onto the motorway, my foot furiously slamming the accelerator. I switched into fifth gear, my hands clenching the steering wheel, my knuckles white. The music from the radio was blaring out some eighties rock song my brother would have liked. I turned it off. I couldn't think with it ringing in my ears. I needed silence. I needed to be able to think. I crossed into the fast lane, overtaking about three cars at a time, practically forgetting to check my mirrors. Some idiot in a Merc gave me the finger. I shrugged it off, but glanced at the speedometer, realising I was breaking the speed limit. Not something I usually try to do. I slowed down, exhaling as I did so, desperately trying to focus my mind on my driving. But my mind was elsewhere. I glanced over at the thick brown envelope lying on the passenger seat, and, for the umpteenth time felt a lump raise in my throat. The envelope contained a court martial order, a summons to a military court. My mouth became dry and my hands sweaty. I felt physically sick. I was dreading what lay ahead._

_But nothing shook me so much as the moment when I realised what I'd done. It was something I would remember forever. The swelteringly hot day. The successful sweep and clear of the Iraqi village. And, of course, my disobedience and foolishness in thinking I could take down a whole troop of enemy armours vehicles. I could still hear the shouts of protests from my soldiers and the orders from the captain, echoing round and round in my head. I could still hear the sound of my own voice. It was something I would never forget._

_

* * *

_

_"Fire when ready!"_

_I heard again the sound of gunshots and firearms being set off. Bang! BamBamBam! The shots from the tanks of my own men, never from the enemy. A mortar, launched into the distance, exploding above their heads._

_I saw the two sections who had been assaulting on foot doubling back towards us. I head Sergeant Mill's voice in my radio, yelling and cursing, now resonating in my head._

_"What the 'ell are you playing at, sir? You wanna get your backsides outta here! Don't hang around any more!"_

_I had ignored him. I was his commander, after all. He had no right to tell me what to do. I was the boss. And my moment of glory, so I believed, was almost mine. God, now how I wish I'd listened to him. If I'd listened, none of this would have happened. Sure, I would have been disciplined. I might even have been stripped of my officer status and sent back to basic training. My name would become a shameful joke, a name to be pitied. But any of that seemed like a blessing compared to what I faces now._

_

* * *

_

_A pitter-patter on my windscreen. It was starting to rain. Huge, dark clouds were forming in the sky, reminding me of the huge clouds of dust stirred up by the tanks. I couldn't help but remember. The final moment. The one which was to define the rest of my life._

_I'd let off another mortar. It had disabled one of the enemy tanks. They decreased their speed, and for a moment. I punched the air in triumph, assuming they were retreating._

_But then…the gas. The grenade they threw. The first weapon they had launched at us, and I knew immediately it would be their last. They would only need to throw one to take us all down. Don't ask me how I knew what it was, about to be released from that little can of smoking arsenal. I just knew. And I could only watch in horror as it flew through the air like a fallen angel, coming to rest just ten meters in front of us. Right in the middle of the crowd of foot soldiers._

_I've felt pain. I've known what it's like to be burnt, bruised and broken. I know what it's like when you can't breath. When you run forty laps up and down a hill and collapsed in a gasping, vomiting heap. What it's like to feel when you think you might be dying. But hell, I couldn't even begin to imagine what those guys on foot where going through now. I won't describe what I saw. I don't want those memories to haunt your dreams like they do mine. I thought my mind might try to block them out, or repress them, or whatever, and all I'd remember was crouching back into the vehicle, shutting the door above me, turning my armoured car round and racing back to camp whilst furiously yelling out orders to which no one would take any notice. But of course, my mind didn't offer me that luxury. If anything, it made my memories clearer and more torturous every time I remembered them._

_

* * *

_

_I snapped my mind back to my driving. My junction was coming up. Once again, the brown envelope caught my eye. On it's own, it didn't look like much. But it gave a man the power to decide my fate. My punishment for the severe act of gross misconduct within a military situation. I don't know how they thought some judge could decide what I deserved. Only God could to that now. I reflected on all the things that had happened to me since returning to England. The shame of facing my family. My girlfriend Elena staring at me, pity in her eyes, as she told me never to talk to her again. And the physical feeling of sickness when I'd come face to face with the few survivors of my platoon. I'd been kicked out of the army, of course. Immediate dismissal. But I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I regretted what I'd done more than anything I'd ever regretted before, or would again. And I knew this should how it would be for the rest of my days._

_My junction came up, and I sped up, putting my foot down for a last minute overtake. A thought that had been brewing unconsciously in my mind at last began to reveal itself. Instead of slowing down as my junction came up, I kept my foot fully down on the acceleration. I watched as the little needle of the speedometer rose. Seventy miles an hour. Eighty. Ninety-five. One hundred and ten. One-twenty. I closed my eyes and took my hands from the steering wheel, placing my palms together. I took a deep breath and spoke the Lord's Prayer, followed by the names of the people I loved and was to leave. My family. My I felt the motorway bend sharply, but my car stayed travelling in a straight line._

_I waiting for what seemed like an eternity._

_

* * *

_

_And then…my life changed forever._


	26. Chapter 25: Forgive, But Don't Forget

Chapter 25

We swam. God knows how long we swam on for, but it seemed like weeks. Just to try and get as far away from the burning wreck of the HMS Hertford as possible. In reality, I think it was a couple of days. It was just under three thousand miles across the Atlantic in all, but I guestimated we'd already travelled about two thirds of that onboard the ship. Which left a thousand miles to make up on our own. It wasn't too bad. It gave as more than enough time to think, and reflect on what had happened.

Mostly, we went as sharks. It had been a shock at first, taking on the sharks' body, and in particular, its' mind. At first, I wasn't even aware that the morph was complete. I just suddenly experienced a crystal-clear clarity: an absence of everything that was not important to my sharks' brain. I swam slowly in a circle, my decent eyesight, my enhanced olfactory lobes sensitive tuned to one thing: the smell of blood. And this meant one thing to my shark's brain.

_Kill._

_Eat._

_Kill and Eat._

_Locate the prey. Search for the smell of blood._

--Guys!--

A voice. But it was not important. Searching for food was important. Kill...and eat. I could smell blood - where was the food?

--Philip! Ferdie! It's Maggie! Where are you guys? Are you even in control of your morphs yet?--

I felt another form brush against me, a rough shape made up of a variety of triangles. I twitched, uncomfortable in the presence of another creature.

--Philip! Is that you? Look, try and snap out of it, would you, guys? We have to get away!--

Philip? Who…?

--Oh!-- I exclaimed, suddenly realising who I was. --Sorry! I suppose I wasn't prepared for the shark's brain.--

Ferdie seemed to have finally gained control of his morph too. --Gosh. That's the second time I've done that,-- he laughed. --Once you get into the animal's brain it's really difficult to switch out of it!-- Then, he went quiet. --Anyone seen Sam?-- he asked, apprehensively.

--Coming up!-- I heard her shout, somewhere behind me.

--Sam!-- cried Ferdie. He swam up to her, briefly touching noses. --Thank god you're ok!-- I swear, if they could, they would be demorphing and embracing each other as humans. I smiled inwardly at the thought of their love for each other.

--I'm always ok, Flawless!-- she laughed. --Come on, we should get away from here as quickly as possible. I don't want us getting hit by any flying debris, or shot at by shipwrecked Controllers!-- The two of them powered their shark bodies into top speed, racing each other like innocent playing children.

* * *

Many hours passed. We located our way west, using the shark's ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field as a guide, demorphing roughly every two hours. 

--Good endurance, this thing has, huh?-- said Ferdie, after our second remorph. --All I want to do is swim!--

--That's because sharks need to swim in order to survive,-- said Maggie. --They need to keep moving in order to let water pass through their gills so they can absorb oxygen from it. If they stop moving, they can't breath, and they die.--

--Wow,-- said Ferdie. --That's made me paranoid. What if we get trapped inside a tiny cave, or something?--

--I don't think there's too many caves around here,-- smiled Sam. --We'll be fine. This is probably the fastest way of getting anywhere. And it's out of sight of any Controllers who are searching for us. We might try going geese later, but I think it's best to stay as we are for now.--

--What are we going to do once we get to the US?-- asked Maggie.

--That's if we make it,-- I said. --God knows where we'll end up.--

--We'll get there,-- Sam replied. --Even if we end up in Canada, or somewhere else that is totally where we didn't plan to go, we'll work something out.--

* * *

And so we swam, our shark bodies doing what they did best. Ferdie and Maggie even tried out their dolphin morphs, which they loved. Their pure and simple childishhappiness couldn't fail to lift our moods. Occasionally we went goose, just for a change, once we'd left the ship well and far behind. It was great to get in the air again. A thousand miles doesn't seem like quite so much when you're the jumbo jet of the bird world. 

We satiated our hunger by catching fish and eating them in shark morph, and trying to avoid being in our human bodies for too long at a time. Sam's theory was that the effects of water and mineral deficiency would only take place if we remained human for long enough at a time. I had no idea if this would work or not - there's loads we still don't know about morphing - but I didn't say anything for fear of bringing down morale. And right now, we were in pretty high spirits. Sure, it had been a shock to escape from a military ship just minutes before it blew up, it we'd failed to stop Visser Five. But we'd successfully prevented an important event the Yeerks were planning - one which, if we hadn't succeeded, would have disastrous consequences for the human race.

We made conversation. We talked about the past few hours, Sam's escape, all that. We chatted about our pasts and our backgrounds. I even told Sam and Maggie my greatest shame; my mistake in the army. They accepted it without condition.

--You did well out there, Philip, taking control like that,-- said Sam privately, sometime during the second day of crossing the ocean. It was late evening, and we were flying as geese, watching the setting sun paint beautiful red and gold strokes of colour across the sky ahead of us.

--Yeah, well, I guess…-- I started.

--I know you never wanted to lead,-- she continued. --I knew there was something in your past that stopped you from taking command. But you beat it, Philip. You saved us.--

I couldn't think of an appropriate answer to this, so I said nothing. But I didn't ignore what Sam said. I let her words wash over me, easing my fears. I'd made mistakes in my life. I'd done terrible things due to my own foolishness. I vowed never to take command of a group again, or make any decisions that could get someone hurt. Just days ago, I'd even tried to take my own life.

But during the life-changing events of the last week or so since we'd been rescued by that Andalite, I'd been forced to reassess my position on life. I had to accept what I'd done. We'd all had to leave our pasts behind us, and now it was time for me to do the same. I would never forget my soldiers in Iraq, or what I did to them. I would probably never forgive myself either. But I had to put it behind me, to learn from my mistakes. My memories would haunt me, but I would use them to give me strength. My name still conjured up feelings of shame and embarrassment. But it also gave me my identity. I was Philip Lawless, fool and fugitive. Philip Lawless, who had seen and done terrible things but had greater battles to face now. My friends and I had a world to save.


	27. Chapter 26: Author's Notes

Author's Notes

Thanks for reading my third story, I hope you like it! Just one more left to go now… and it should be just as exciting as this one for they finally meet the Animorphs and Visser Three! But they've got their own adventure to deal with first, before they get involved with those guys.

Disclaimer: You know all this already. KAA owns most of the characters - Jake, the Animorphs, Visser Three, Visser One, the Andalites, and the whole idea. But Samantha, Philip, Flawless, Maggie, Ash, Visser Five, Lort-Strelitz, the soldiers and the other unfamiliar characters are all mine.

**Animorphs Fan Art Done! **I have drawn Sam morphing into a lanner falcon as the 'front cover' morph for The Fugitives. I have submitted it to Elfwood and you can view it at: http/elfwood.lysator.liu.se/fanq/j/e/jennalo3/samlannersmaljpgl.jpg.html

I've also done one of Ferdie morphing a stag for The Confrontation - I've submitted it to Elfwood so hopefully it will be up in a few days. I'll also be doing one of Philip for this story, but I'm not sure which of his morphs to use. I was thinking shark, since I haven't drawn a water based animal yet, but there's also wasp, goose, musk ox and wolverine that he uses in this story. Any suggestions?

**Thanks to:**

LittleMidgett: Thanks for your reviews again! You're the best!

Qullian: Wow! I've never known someone to follow my stories as you did! Thank you so much for all your fantastic reviews - I probably wouldn't have bothered updating like I do if it wasn't for you!

And everyone else who read and replied!

In the Forth Story: 

_A powerful business man has bought a famous fleet of aeroplanes, with the intention of providing a luxury service for famous and important people - and it just so happens that it will be conveniently travelling from New York to LA. But there's something odd about this enterprise. For a start, all it's passengers seem to be members of a strange cult. And then there's the name of the airline: Visser Enterprises. Coincidence? Or are the Yeerks up to something? Sam must decide whether the Fugitives should take a chance and hop on board for a free flight to California, or check it out and see what's really behind the business plan…_

You'll get Maggie's point of view this time, as she'll be narrating. More morphs, more laughs and more adventures! And they haven't even met the Animorphs yet!


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